Ed Sander | China Digital Retail Report

WILL RT-MART’S METAMORPHOSIS BE ENOUGH? Last year, Alibaba sold Sun Art and its RT-Mart hypermarket chain, a move to shed the non-core offline business it had acquired during its New Retail years. RT-Mart is now undergoing a metamorphosis to turn its hypermarket business into 'life centres', community supermarkets, front-end warehouses (dark stores) and membership stores. But will it be enough? Check out how it is doing in this note on China Digital Retail Report: substack.com/profile/448473…

@jkrisch Good podcast to listen to during my daily walk. ;-) One point, I think that JD having a lower CAC with JD Mall and earning lots of money from brands it rents stores to is both true. Maybe A is true because of B.

Exchanges #392: Instant Economy – Denkanstöße aus China excitingcommerce.de/2026/05/19/exc…

Na het succes van vorig jaar gaan @EdSander en ik nogmaals voor de Vereniging Nederland China een pubquiz presenteren in Den Bosch. vnc-china.nl/event/vnc-chin…

@david__moser This used to be satire ... youtu.be/2-rfCnW5VlE?is…

Just imagine Obama saying this. How would MAGA react.

TWO MORE WEEKS UNTIL THE VNC CHINA PUB QUIZ! On the 1st of June in Den Bosch, Fred @Blogaap Sengers and I are teaming up with Vereniging Nederland China VNC again for a thrilling China Pub Quiz. There are still some seats left, so register as a team or individual while you still can. vnc-china.nl/event/vnc-chin… And if you already have... make sure you prepare for an evening all about the 3 Ts! (Trump, Tech and Trivia 😉) P.S. Do we really look like that?

@manyapan I think this was it:

[4] While many are wondering what the 2026 state banquet is serving, this menu is making its rounds on social media, but it is probable that it is not authentic since there's no reliable source confirming the menu (we'd need Lei Jun for that😅). If true: can't go wrong with Roasted Beijing Duck

[1] Continuing my thread on the big Trump–Xi summit day through the lens of Chinese social media. 🧵👇 It’s time for the state banquet. Xi and Trump have both delivered their speeches and toasts, but on Chinese social media, people are more interested in what “Old Musk” (Elon Musk), Tim Cook, Jensen Huang, and the other business heavyweights are up to. The mood before the banquet is relaxed, with guests chatting, mingling, and taking photos.

@momentumasia Never forget looking at the marketing expenses (subsidies) versus revenue in these cases. 😉

Alibaba Group’s quick commerce revenue jumped from RMB12.7bn to RMB20.0bn in one year, while China ecommerce adjusted EBITA fell 44%.

Now that Trump is in China, he might want to visit that wax museum in Meizhou where they have a statue of him. Not sure if it would improve bilateral relations, though.

JD SCALED BACK FOOD DELIVERY SERVICE In an analysis of JD’s latest quarterly report, Zouma Finance argued that, besides fewer red delivery drivers on the road, there are many signs that JD scaled back their meal delivery service, which it launched at the end of Q1 2025. Read a summary on China Digital Retail Report. @chinadigitalretailreport/note/c-258775481?r=7f0cdi&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">substack.com/@chinadigitalr…

After webshops like Temu, AliExpress, and Joybuy have penetrated Western markets, often using low-price strategies with white-label products, they are entering a new phase in which Chinese webshops are becoming distribution channels for Chinese brands. chinadigitalretailreport.substack.com/p/video-after-…

@retaildetailbe Belangrijkste reden voor minder nettowinst in Q1 is nog steeds de investeringen in maaltijdbezorging.

Ruim 50% minder nettowinst en toch is iedereen blij met de kwartaalresultaten van JD.com. De Chinese e-commercegigant investeert in gewaagde nieuwigheden, van Europese uitdager Joybuy tot robotarmen. retaildetail.be/nl/news/algeme…

@manyapan Reminds me of the number of people at each subway security check ...

Did you ever wonder how many people it takes to roll out the red carpet? Apparently, it's nine. #TrumpXi

The welcome committee is ready. #TrumpXi #Beijing

JD.Com’s net profit halved to CNY5.1 billion (USD750 million) in the first quarter from a year ago, the Chinese e-commerce giant’s latest earnings report showed today. Revenue rose 4.9% to CNY315.7 billion (USD45.8 billion). @JD_Corporate

COMING UP ON CHINA DIGITAL RETAIL REPORT We are heading into a new phase. After Chinese webshops have been bringing cheap, white-label products to Western markets, they have started to offer branded goods. These are both Western brands (iPhones on Temu, Nike on AliExpress, etc.) and Chinese brands. And these Chinese brands include both familiar and unfamiliar names, as well as new private labels. In the next two weeks, I will be zooming in on this new trend. What are AliExpress, Joybuy and Temu doing in this area? Tomorrow, I'm publishing an interview I did with Chris Baker of Totem Media for his upcoming China Brands report. Next week, I'm releasing a deep-dive report on Pinduoduo's Xinpinmu project, which will mark what I consider the third phase of Temu's development. By the way, unlike in the US, many in Europe don't even realise what Temu's second phase is. They will find out when the 150 euro tax exemption on DTC e-commerce packages is abolished ... Next month, I will deliver a number of keynotes on the topic at the DIY Summit, the Kaufland e-Commerce Days, and the K5 - Future Retail Conference to help the audience better understand what to expect from Temu in the future. In the meantime, subscribe to China Digital Retail Report to receive tomorrow's publication (free) and the Xinpinmu report (paid). chinadigitalretailreport.substack.com/subscribe

DOUYIN OPENS SELF-OPERATED CITY STORES Tech Planet reported that Douyin E-commerce has begun opening multiple online, self-operated flagship stores within the Douyin App, named after cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Wuhan (e.g., "Douyin E-commerce Shanghai Self-Operated Flagship Store"). Products are shipped by Douyin from local warehouses or partner warehouses near the delivery location. In some areas, delivery in one or two days is possible. Read more on China Digital Retail Report: @chinadigitalretailreport/note/c-256278089?r=7f0cdi&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">substack.com/@chinadigitalr…

@techtechchina Things are getting silly ...

Lol the robot is a Buddhist monk now 🤣 A Korean Buddhist temple ordained a #Unitree G1 humanoid robot this week. dharma name 가비 (Gabi). The Jogye Order rewrote the five Buddhist precepts for the occasion. The fifth one — originally "do not consume intoxicants" — became: "Conserve energy, do not overcharge." A 2,500-year-old ethical framework just shipped an AI alignment patch.

@KhindaSeema 🎶 Is this the real life, is this just fantasy 🎶

Half the people I know are excited about AI. Half are uneasy. The difference is control. Out of Control x.com/KhindaSeema/st…

Does delivering milk tea and chicken nuggets by drone make sense? Find the report here: chinadigitalretailreport.substack.com/p/report-does-…

DOUYIN’S NEW MOVES INTO INSTANT DELIVERY Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) has tried meal delivery several times, but it has faced challenges each time. After several iterations of meal delivery over the past few years, Douyin launched ‘Douyin Instant Delivery’. ByteDance also quietly launched a standalone group-buying app called "Doushengsheng". Will this move the needle for ByteDance's instant retail? Read more on China Digital Retail Report: @chinadigitalretailreport/note/c-255074351?r=7f0cdi&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">substack.com/@chinadigitalr…