JD Cool Stuff #1: Moneyball and Digital Marketplaces for China’s Farms (1 of 3)

I keep a short list of cool stuff China’s digital giants are doing. Not just the big initiatives – but the smaller and often more inventive ideas. And JD tends to have a lot of these. From building their own robotics and drones to trash sorting / redemption programs and farming initiatives, JD has lots […]

6 Questions About JD’s E-Space (2 of 2) (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)

In Part 1, I laid out why I think JD’s e-space was a pretty bold move – and opens a new frontier in OMO retail. My argument was that as you move from retail about buying products in the supermarket to visiting shopping malls and department malls, you start to really merge products, services and […]

Jeffrey Towson – The Race for Assets in New Retail (Video)

From one of my standard talks in 2018 (since retired). This is about bike-sharing, mobility and super-apps. See below. Youtube link is here. Other parts of talk are below: Part 1: What is the Engine of Chinese Bike-Sharing? Part 2: Give Consumers Exactly What They Want Part 3: In Digital China, Re-Imagine Operations ASAP Part […]

What’s Next in New Retail in China? (Video)

From one of my standard talks in 2018 (since retired). This is about bike-sharing, mobility and super-apps. See below. Youtube link is here. Other parts of talk are below: Part 1: What is the Engine of Chinese Bike-Sharing? Part 2: Give Consumers Exactly What They Want Part 3: In Digital China, Re-Imagine Operations ASAP Part […]

Jeffrey Towson – New Retail Is Bigger Than You Think (Video)

From one of my standard talks in 2018 (since retired). This is about bike-sharing, mobility and super-apps. See below. Youtube link is here. Other parts of talk are below: Part 1: What is the Engine of Chinese Bike-Sharing? Part 2: Give Consumers Exactly What They Want Part 3: In Digital China, Re-Imagine Operations ASAP Part […]

Alibaba’s New Retail Is Not About Supermarkets. It’s About Participation. (Pt 3 of 4)

In this four part series, I look at how “new retail” impacts the strategies of e-commerce market leaders Alibaba and JD. My take is basically five points: Point 1: China is ground zero for the digital transformation of retail. Explained in Part 1 here. Point 2: But “new retail” is not just supermarkets and convenience […]

My 6 Take-Aways from CES 2019

So I’m waiting for a flight out of Las Vegas. Along with the +170,000 other people who attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year. It’s crazy. The CEO of Delta Airlines said they added an additional +30 daily flights to Las Vegas for the event. Crazy. I was here for five days and attended […]

The 4 Superpowers Of China’s Digital Giants (Pt 2 of 3)

In Part 1 (here), I laid out how Alibaba has evolved in China. It was for a retail marketplace, but you can see a similar pattern in many of China’s digital giants. The next phase in this evolution is “new retail”, and it is changing this pattern in a big way (coming in Part 3). […]