Core Insights - Watsons is attempting to regain its position in the beauty retail industry after being marginalized, focusing on three core strategies: scenario reconstruction, user operation, and regional penetration [1] - The success of Watsons' turnaround depends on breakthroughs in supply chain localization, user experience reconstruction, and organizational agility [1] - The company faces significant challenges from both internal path dependencies and external competition from new market entrants [1] Strategy and Market Position - In the first half of the year, Watsons launched multiple offline consumption scenarios targeting men's, children's, and health categories, expanding beyond its traditional focus on women aged 18 to 45 [2] - Watsons plans to establish men's sections in 300 stores nationwide and aims to attract young families by focusing on children's products [2] - The company has ambitious sales goals, aiming for a threefold increase in health product sales within three years [4] Operational Changes - Watsons is redefining the value of its physical stores by integrating them into a more efficient new retail model, which includes a concept called "back-end stores" for order processing [6][9] - The number of back-end stores is projected to increase from 131 at the end of 2024 to 394 by mid-2025 [6] - The company is also focusing on improving delivery efficiency and store productivity, with plans to extend its reach to community stores within a 15-minute radius of consumers [9] Historical Context and Challenges - Watsons was once a retail leader but has seen declining revenue since 2015 due to the rise of e-commerce and new beauty retail formats [10][11] - The company has struggled to adapt to the changing competitive landscape, with its market share eroded by online platforms and new beauty stores that offer immersive experiences [11][13] - Watsons' previous attempts at online integration have been hampered by issues in traffic, supply chain, and logistics [9][16] Competitive Landscape - Watsons faces intense competition from new beauty brands and retail formats, such as HARMAY and MINISO, which have successfully captured market share with innovative approaches [11][20] - The overlap in target demographics between Watsons and competitors like MINISO highlights the need for Watsons to enhance its value proposition [20] - The competition is characterized by a clash of retail paradigms: Watsons' traditional model versus the agile, supply chain-driven strategies of newer entrants [22]