It has been 8 years since the latest international financial crisis, and China's economy is experiencing a revolutionary period that new kinetic energies alternate with the old ones and the industry exhales the old and inhales the new. Taking the retail business as an example, the whole industry is confronted with the difficulty of tough transition under the pressure of the shock of electric-commerce, excess supply of commercial real estate as well as the costs of rent and labor. Development has not seen the light while simultaneously the winter of capital has struck so that the market has to become more cautious. Retail leaders are generally caught in a dilemma that they don't know whether it is the light at the end of the dark or merely the longer dark tunnel.

On July 22th, the highest-level activity of China's retail business---China’s Retail Leaders Summit Annual Series Activity was hosted by China Chain Store and Franchise Association(CCFA) in Shanghai, which was China’s unique official partner. More than twenty leaders of the retail business from home and abroad, including the executive director and CEO of Yintai Commerce (Group) Co., Ltd., vice chairman of Suning Commerce Group Co., Ltd., chairman of Brookstone China, global managing partner of McKinsey & Company, vice chairman of Yonghui Supermarket Co., Ltd., as well as Beijing Huaguan Commerce Co., Ltd., and BBK Company, gathered in the same hall to probe into the path of reform and development direction of retail business in the future.

Big names gathered together in Shanghai focusing on the innovation and transformation mode of retail business

More than twenty members of the retail leaders summit gathered in Shanghai and visited Decathlon Asian headquarter(Decathlon is the sports articles “killer”)and Hisap Brookstone flagship store in Shanghai, which specializes in novelty products. In Decathlon headquarter in Asia, Zhang Yue, a member of Chinese retail leaders summit as well as the President of Decathlon in Greater China, has explained the history, business modes and strategic focus of Decathlon in detail. Decathlon started as a sports store in 1976, released the first bicycle with its own brand in 1986. Now, the products with its own brand have accounted for 98%, which has a unique competitive advantage.

Being different from Decathlon that vigorously promotes its own brand, Hisap has introduced Brookstone that is the professional chain enterprise of American novelty products, and has brought its advanced concept of product innovation, supply chain system, unique operation mode to China, thus opening up new perspectives  for the transformation of offline for Hisap.

After the visit in Decathlon, the delegates investigated Hisap Brookstone flagship store in Shanghai with the guidance of Xin Kexia who was the Chairman of Hisap Brookstone in China and the President of Hisap. Besides, Xin Kexia personally showed and introduced the star products such as Cat Ear Headphones, Sleeping-aider, Wine Decanter to retail leaders. 

It is learned that Brookstone has a history of more than 50 years and it has become the synonym of novelty products in the United States for a long time. Entering into China with the slogan---the surprise easy to get. Brookstone displayed and managed the commodities according to their categories through the buyer, and attracted consumers to engage in by training them and letting them experience. Contrary to traditional 3C products sales outlets, in addition to the novelty products from the United States, one strong point of Hisap Brookstone is that there are many scenes allowing people to experience at will, interact at any time, relax and have fun such as sticky sand world, massage experience, home living area, robots fighting area and so on, giving young people and children a lot of fun. 

It is always the essence of the development of all business including the retail business to create the most favorable shopping space for consumers based on the customer experience. Hence, Hisap Brookstone’s marketing mode of scene experience is just based upon this idea, that is to fully develop the great advantages  of the business of offline, to make the commodities visible and tangible through constructing materialized scene so that the commodities would become a part of life and people can undergo an experience at every minute and every moment. 

Hisap Brookstone was highly praised in the industry and initiated a new wave of learning.

In the end of visiting the shop front of Brookstone, the big shots of the industry gave their recommendations about it. They thought high of this new marketing strategy of Hisap, and expressed that to identify the direction of transformation was indeed the fundamentality of the future development. In addition, Sun Weimin , of the same trade from Suning Commerce Group Co., Ltd., had given a high evaluation and his own suggestions in the light of the new transformation mode of Hisap, and called it the typical benchmark of transformation in the industry.

After the conference, all great leaders considered it a worthwhile trip and had learned a lot from it.

Han Yuzhen, Deputy General Manager of Handan Sunshine Department Group:  Decathlon and Hisap have given us a good interpretation that meeting customers’ needs are the eternal theme of the retail business. Though they are not in the same field, they are the same on the essence. 

Li Yanchuan, President of Beijing Supermarket Sends Chain Co., Ltd.: Developing products is the magic key to cater for the target customers. Both Decathlon's own brands and the unique commodities developed by Hisap are done so, they are indeed engaging in diversifying the management.

Li Yueshu, Chairman of Weifang Department Store:

Thanks to this interactive activity, I have visited two distinctive organizations---Decathlon and Hisap and I benefited a lot from this trip and have been inspired so I think it is a good activity. For attracting customers, Hisap adopts a new mode that provides novel, exotic and special commodities and creates a relaxed environment, making customers purchase in the entertainment. Therefore, it is a good mode because of the creative idea and a new conception. Due to the quick generational change of commodities, the key to the future development is to maintain the continuous supply of popular new and peculiar commodities, always to go ahead the market, thus it will have strong vitality.

Peng Jianzhen, the Deputy Secretary General of the Association:My recommendations about Brookstone are as follows, the products that mainly include electronic products should be regarded as the commodities that are purchased with low frequency whether people purchase them impulsively or send to others as gifts. Generally speaking, the appropriate location of this kind of commodity should be the places with large consumers volume and mobile population, or the sites where people are apt to consume impulsively. So it is reasonable that in the United States, stores are mostly at the airports and stations. At present, this store is located in the business district while the current situation could not be changed in the short term. Therefore, in order to improve performance, after the sensationalism of the store itself fades away (such as one year later), the store should select and collect new products to attract people or introduce the retailing form and brands that may attract consumers  in the property of Hisap, which will help to enhance the performance of the store.

The word sent by the President of the Association:

 At the present time, domestic retail sales enterprises generally seek for the differentiation and high quality of products, and hope to have more competitive strength through R&D of products and integration of the whole supply chain. Hisap Brookstone is the pioneer and leader in this field. Its domestic new stores have provided new ideas and inspiration for China’s retail sales enterprises to explore this area in the future.

As a reform leader in this China’s retail leaders summit, Hisap Brookstone’s and Decathlon’s new thoughts for development have received high recognition and praise from all sectors of the industry, at the same time they have marked the beginning of the transformation and development of the retail business in the future. e indeed engaging in diversifying the management.