JD.com Inc. has opened the first of a chain of high-tech supermarkets in Beijing, following arch-foe Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. into the world of physical retail.
The envisioned chain of “7Fresh” stores represent its biggest foray into traditional retail, and like Alibaba it’s counting on reaching new customers and securing valuable data by connecting online and off-line shopping. JD’s new stores and Alibaba’s Hema chain both allow shoppers to use a mobile app and digital payments to complement their browsing.
