Chinese people from all walks of life are going back to business as the situation of the novel
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has stabilized gradually.
The catering, retail, real estate industries have launched online services for customers in an effort
to avoid mass gatherings and minimize the impact of the epidemic.
Beijing’s famous restaurants such as Beijing Dadong Roast Duck, Bianyifang Roast Duck and
Dong Lai Shun, which previously relied heavily on dine-in revenue, have started offering food
online.
The catering industry has a relatively lower threshold and smaller pressure for shifting their
services from offline to online compared with other traditional industries. Since the COVID-19
outbreak, multiple restaurants have discovered different remedies to save their businesses.
Some restaurants even livestream how their food is made by the chefs, attracting a large number of
customers and boosted their online sales volume. The internet-based approach has brought fresh
experiences for customers and is obviously more attempting.
The catering industry is an epitome of the traditional industries seeking to resume work by going
online. Besides, some other industries have also endeavored to move their markets and services
from offline to online.
Tang Lin is a real estate agent in Liu Zhou, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
who’s now very adept at selling houses on a livestreaming platform. On his very first livestream
show, he was watched by over 60,000 people.
As a matter of fact, most real estate firms across the country have established online sales
channels, and a rising number of real estate agents and marketing personnel have started to sell
houses online.
The auto retail sector also went online. SAIC Volkswagen, Geely and Chery have all set up
“exhibition centers” on their online shopping malls, mobile applications, and flagship stores on e-
commerce platforms Tmall and JD.com, and some of them showcased their cars through virtual
reality (VR) technology. BMW also joined livestreaming, making the selling process more
dynamic.
Some auto companies are now offering non-contact sales. The service allows customers to receive
their vehicles at their doorsteps after placing orders online, and all formalities including the
insurance will be handled by the dealerships.
Some traditional industries, which didn’t rely much on the internet, have also shifted to the online
model, such as the home decor sector. Easyhome, one of China's largest home furnishing retailers,
have presented over 1,000 brands through holding more than 1,000 livestreaming shows on
Taobao. The huge online traffic created has brought new opportunities for the traditional
industries.
Though the online model was the “last straw” for businesses amid the epidemic, a lot of retail
brands have achieved better-than-expected performance. This has probably made online selling a
possible model for the retail sector in the future.
Data showed that more than 100 new professions have emerged on Taobao livestreaming since
February, and the number of shops selling products on livestreaming shows has increased by 50
percent.
Other e-commerce platforms such as JD.com and Pinduoduo have invited offline stores to move
business online to make up for the loss caused by the epidemic. Through going online, the entity
businesses have embraced an opportunity to deepen interactions with the consumers.
Industry analysts believe that the shift of businesses from offline to online is not just a conversion
of the sales platform, and it will also bring in-depth transformation that spurs new models,
broadens the space for future consumption scenarios and possibly makes the “cloud working" a
routine. In the process of transformation, more cross-industry attempts based on "cloud" are likely
to take place.
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