Hybrid.
Buying a watermelon online from a seller that sells watermelons outdoors on a table right across the street is the future.
Seems futuristic? Actually, It is currently happening in China. Its name is WeChat.
In terms of retail, China is one of the most developed nations in the world.
China only has one app that enables its citizens to take care of all their needs, from scheduling health appointments to giving charity to homeless people.
This app is used by almost everyone in the country (over 1 billion people out of 1.4 billion Chinese citizens). All WeChat users are connected to one another and to all services offered there.
How WeChat started?
WeChat began as a chat and content-sharing social media network.
The platform saw a huge increase in user adoption after the government enabled payments and many other commerce capabilities in the market between 2011 and 2015; during that period, WeChat and many other private companies were part of the government’s mass surveillance program. Therefore, the government assisted with flexible rules and regulations to accelerate the adoption of the services.
In between all these features, Hybrid Commerce is happening daily.
WeChat users can search for any product or service nearby, search for a product from stores locally, pay in-store, and ask for delivery or pickup. At the same time, each vendor can register and set up an account to access hundreds of millions of users.
All of this is taking place due to China’s government working with private companies to increase power and control over its citizens and build a long-lasting, successful economy.
WeChat users have an amazing experience for shopping activities for their everyday needs compared to the rest of the world. This is only a tiny portion of what the retail industry might look like in the future.
How far is the rest of the world from this?
A long way.
Follow me for more information on how we can achieve this and more.