This Day, That Year

Editor’s Note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy.

Since the first supermarket opened in Beijing in February 1983, people’s shopping experience has changed almost beyond recognition.

French retailer Carrefour entered China in 1995, followed by Walmart from the United States in 1996, before market liberalization in November 2004. China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

To meet the growing trend of e-commerce, traditional retailers also offer online shopping services to improve the buying experience for consumers.

China’s online shopping is seeing robust growth, with total online retail sales hitting 6.1 trillion yuan ($961 billion) last year, up

29.6 percent year-onyear, according to consulting firm iResearch.

The country has more than 751 billion internet users.

To tap the market, e-commerce giants such as Alibaba and JD aim to eliminate the distinction between online and offline commerce via streamlined services from shopping to delivery.

For example, Hema Xiansheng, a fresh food chain invested in by Alibaba, only accepts online payment at its physical stores. With a mature logistics system, the company allows customers to order online and delivers fresh food within 30 minutes of ordering.