Your Guide to Beijing's Futuristic Taobao Markets

By Noelle Mateer

Beijing 2018 is a world of QR codes. But nowhere does this feel truer than in Hema. At the new supermarket, opened by retail giant Taobao, we feel like we are inside a QR code. Here, cash payments aren't an option. Shopping carts aren't even an option. Your cart is your Hema app, installed on your phone. Welcome to the market of the future.

Alibaba – parent company of both Taobao and Alipay – began opening branches of Hema earlier this year. Known colloquially as the ‘Taobao market,’ there are now 20 Hemas in China, and more in the works. Hema is not terribly different from a regular supermarket – there are shelves of fruit and refrigerators of meat, after all. But there are some key differences: Instead of plunking your jar of mayonnaise into a cart, you scan it, let a virtual version appear in your online ‘cart,’ and use your app to pay at the register in the end. And then what? Your mayonnaise is retrieved by an automated trolley system and, if you live nearby, delivered to your home in 30 minutes. The lines between in-store shopping and e-commerce have officially been blurred.

Looking for a slice of the high-tech action? Or maybe just a slice of ham? We visited Hema’s Shilipu branch – here’s our guide to making the most of it.
 
Look Up      

Hema looks like a regular supermarket – except for the ceiling. Turn your gaze upward and you’ll see miniature automated tracks zooming packages of food from one end of the ceiling to another (don’t worry, there’s netting in case they fall). It’s like the Diagon Alley wand shop. But for groceries.
 
Set Up Alipay
We shouldn’t have to tell you this, but this Alipay-integrated store is not a WeChat Wallet-friendly space.

Get Connected
Hema has lightning-fast wifi, no password required, so you can download their app as soon as you walk into the store. This is your ‘cart,’ which you will use to scan QR codes of the items you want, and later pay with, at the register.

Get Crabs

Most of the items here are upmarket, and therefore on the pricey end. The one exception? Seafood. Fish your own crustacean out of the tank with a net. If you’d like to eat in, an in-store steaming station will prepare it for you.

Be Hungry
In addition to the seafood-steaming stations, Hema also has a mini hot pot bar, where you can get dippin’ in your own personal pot.

Skip the Produce
Sure, Hema has fruit and veggies, many of it in adorable packaging. But produce is more plentiful and far cheaper at your local wet market. Or even just your regular, you know, non-Alipay-funded supermarket.

Or, Actually, Don't Go At All

Live nearby? Hema delivers groceries for free – that’s right, free – to anyone within a 3km radius of the store. (We mean, of course, there’s no delivery fee. You still have to buy the groceries.) Just order on their app, and your food will depart the market in under 30 minutes.

Stay Tuned
Alibaba plans on rolling out more stores over the next five years. So even if there isn’t a Hema near you, chances are one will open near you, or within that sweet, sweet delivery range, in the future. Granted, if you’re in the hutongs, this is unlikely – branches are further out, in suburbs and in malls. Meituan and JD.com have also announced plans to expand into the brick-and-mortar world.

B1 New City Plaza, Shilipu Courtyard 2, Chaoyang Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳路十里堡乙2号院新城市广场B1层
B1 New City Plaza, Shilipu Courtyard 2, Chaoyang Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳路十里堡乙2号院新城市广场B1层
B1 Cuiwei Department Store, 8 Dacheng Lu, Fengtai 丰台区大成路8号翠微百货B1 (40 0828 8477)

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