Summary of Instant Retail Industry Conference Call Industry Overview - Instant retail has significantly impacted traditional offline supermarkets, particularly large chains like Yonghui and RT-Mart, through store digitization, consumer mindset cultivation, and logistics system development [3][1] - The industry is characterized by two main business models: platform business and self-operated business, with platforms like Meituan, Alibaba's Ele.me, and JD Daojia focusing on information matching and traffic operation, while self-operated businesses emphasize supply chain management [2][12] Key Players and Their Strategies Meituan - Meituan holds a competitive advantage in instant retail due to its extensive coverage of small and medium-sized merchants and a high penetration rate among takeaway users [4][1] - The company enhances its supply chain capabilities through self-operated businesses like Xiaoxiang Supermarket and Happy Monkey Discount Store [4][1] Alibaba - Alibaba expands its reach in instant retail through Ele.me for takeaway services and Taobao Flash Purchase for non-food categories [5][1] - Despite rapid growth through subsidies, Alibaba faces challenges due to differences in consumer mindsets between Taobao users and takeaway users [5][1] JD Daojia - JD Daojia has partnered with regional supermarkets like RT-Mart and Sam's Club, but the decline of some traditional supermarkets has affected its profitability [6][1] - The company maintains market share through 3C electronics and fast-moving consumer goods [6][1] Differences Between Instant Retail and Traditional E-commerce - Instant retail differs from traditional e-commerce in consumer mindset, fulfillment costs, and supply logic, relying more on localized supply and rapid fulfillment rather than scale effects and unlimited SKUs [7][1] - Instant retail emphasizes quick fulfillment and quality assurance over price advantages or product variety [7][1] Future Outlook - The growth of instant retail depends on consumer habit formation, supply fulfillment efficiency improvements, and category expansion, with collaboration with upstream brand manufacturers being crucial [8][1] - The industry is expected to see a compound annual growth rate exceeding 20%, but caution is advised regarding specific data [10][1] E-commerce Platforms' Retail Strategies - E-commerce platforms are entering the retail space to expand market share, primarily targeting urban users with services similar to takeaway, focusing on fewer SKUs and popular products [11][1] - Retail is viewed as a common denominator for all local life categories, with varying penetration depths based on immediacy and emergency needs [11][1] Delivery and Fulfillment Competitiveness - Competition in delivery and fulfillment efficiency among platforms is driven by order density and the number of delivery personnel, influenced by consumer mindset [13][1] - Meituan Flash Purchase enhances its growth through lightning warehouses and franchise models to meet 24-hour convenience demands [13][1]

Core Insights - The core argument is that instant retail and traditional e-commerce are not in a zero-sum game, but rather represent different branches of the broader e-commerce ecosystem, with instant retail addressing immediate consumer needs that traditional e-commerce struggles to fulfill [2][15]. Retail Evolution - The retail ecosystem has evolved from offline to online and now to instant retail, with offline retail still holding a significant market share of over 60% in China's retail market, projected to reach 47.14 trillion yuan in 2024 [3]. - Traditional e-commerce has reshaped the retail landscape over the past two decades, with a market size exceeding 15 trillion yuan by the end of 2024, focusing on planned purchases and price advantages [5]. Instant Retail Growth - Instant retail has rapidly gained traction, with a market size of 650 billion yuan in 2023, expected to surpass 1 trillion yuan by 2025, driven by platforms like Meituan and JD [6]. - It addresses immediate consumer needs, such as urgent grocery items or medicines, filling a gap left by traditional retail in terms of timely response [6][12]. Complementary Nature - Instant retail focuses on immediate needs, while traditional e-commerce targets planned purchases, creating a complementary relationship rather than a competitive one [7][8]. - The supply chain for traditional e-commerce relies on national logistics networks, while instant retail utilizes local stores and warehouses to meet high-frequency, urgent demands [9]. Market Dynamics - As of 2024, instant retail's market size is approximately 800 billion yuan, indicating it is still in its growth phase compared to traditional e-commerce and offline retail [12]. - The future growth of instant retail will involve integrating with traditional e-commerce and offline retail, enhancing service offerings to meet both planned and immediate consumer needs [13][14]. Future Outlook - The long-term market structure is expected to stabilize into a "three-way split," with offline retail focusing on experiential shopping, traditional e-commerce on planned purchases, and instant retail on urgent needs, each serving distinct consumer demands [14][15]. - The evolution of the retail ecosystem will be characterized by digital integration, allowing for a more seamless consumer experience across different retail formats [15].