Through a comparative analysis of a huge collection of cases, based on interviews and secondary sources and, of course, first-hand consumer experience, we decode China’s retail revolution for global retail and innovation executives, so they can understand what is going on and why, and what it means for the rest of the world. 

Crucially, from our research, we have identified five critical stages in the development of new retail that global retail executives need to grasp now: lifestyle commerce, Online-Merge-Offline retail, social retail, livestream retail and invisible retail.  

To help the industry get ready for this new, China-inspired paradigm in retail, we have developed a practical and simple framework – a ten year strategic roadmap for global retail executives, which we call the “Beyond” Value Chain Model.  

China’s new retail is not just about fashion, cosmetics, snacks, data-driven convenient stores and commercial live streaming. It offers a gold mine of inspirational lessons in innovation, purpose and agility for global executives across the entire retail spectrum.