From grocery stores to digital convenience stores – the corner shops are as warm as ever

Can you imagine? Buy goods, cook ready-to-make food, pay gas and electricity bills, print and copy, send and receive couriers... In a small convenience store in Taiyuan, Shanxi, almost every daily need can be met here. "It's right in front of your home, just raise your legs, convenient and hygienic." Guo Caixi, a citizen who lives in Xiaodongmen, Taiyuan City, told reporters that it has become her "fixed action" to start a day of life with a breakfast at the Tangjiu convenience store in front of her home in the early morning.

Third in the country, Taiyuan ranked in the China City Convenience Store Index this year, and this achievement has been maintained by Taiyuan for 5 years. Not long ago, Tangjiu Convenience and Alipay launched the Digital Convenience No. 1 store in Taiyuan, the country's first digital convenience store that integrates online and offline services.

This convenience store is located in Wuyi Road, Taiyuan City, the store is less than 80 square meters, step into the store, you can see the digital convenience service area, cashier area and Alipay shelf area, the functional partition at a glance. Stores have grafted more online services to offline, highlighting the convenience service function. For example, as long as consumers place orders online, they can complete life services such as offline recycling of used clothes. For another example, the store has introduced volunteer services to provide the latest anti-fraud information and smart device use teaching for elderly customers in the community.

Zhang Li, senior marketing manager of Tangjiu Convenience, told reporters that convenience stores should highlight "convenience" and should be the "stronghold" of the daily life of surrounding residents. Each upgrade iteration of Tang Jiu is from the perspective of solving problems, what do the residents of the community need? What kind of services can make residents feel more convenient? Buying things, eating breakfast, paying water, electricity and gas bills, charging charges, sending couriers, charging battery cars... Extending from convenience to convenience, service is becoming more and more grounded.

Recently, Taiyuan issued the "Measures for Promoting the High-quality Development of Chain Retail in Taiyuan City", adding another fire to the development and upgrading of convenience stores. In order to promote convenient consumption, the "Measures" coordinate the opening of public spaces in universities, hospitals, parks, scenic spots, subways, stadiums, pedestrian streets and other places to lay out brand chain retail outlets and intelligent retail terminals to improve the degree of convenience. At the same time, brand chain retail enterprises in Taiyuan City for every new direct or franchised store reward of 50,000 yuan. In terms of supporting the extension of chain brands to rural areas, the headquarters of brand chain retail enterprises that have been recorded for franchise filing will build new chain stores in the area outside the main urban area of Taiyuan City, and each new directly operated or franchised store will be rewarded with 70,000 yuan. In terms of accelerating the transformation of the new and old kinetic energy of chain retail, optimize the supply of goods and services, and encourage chain retail enterprises to increase services such as housekeeping, laundry, ticketing, home delivery, takeaway, collection and payment, reservation and purchase...

"It makes us more motivated." Zhao Kai, director of the Jinhu Convenience Store on Pingyang Road in Xiaodian District, Taiyuan City, said, "Do a good job this year and strive to open another store early next year."

Convenience stores play an important role in serving people's livelihood and convenient consumption, known as the "light of the city", I believe that as long as the original intention of adhering to people-oriented and serving the people remains unchanged, from grocery stores to 24-hour convenience stores to digital convenience stores, those street corner shops will always be the warm light that lights up a better life. (Economic Daily reporter Liang Jing)

Source: Economic Daily