Last month, I was invited to join an exclusive group of 9 executives on a retail study tour to Shanghai. CEOs and Board Directors, all there to understand what’s really happening in Chinese retail.
What I discovered challenges everything I thought I knew about where retail is heading. Here are four insights that might change how you see your own strategy.
Walking down Anfu Road, Shanghai’s hippest street, I stepped into Salomon’s new concept store.
Salomon chose a century-old French building on a culture street, not a sports district. They created 479 square meters across three floors: Le Salon (gallery space with local artists), La Galerie (brand heritage), and L’Atelier (workshop and events with a French kitchen).
They’re not selling to hikers. They’re selling to lifestyle seekers who want outdoor aesthetics in urban settings. The location strategy is brilliant – surrounded by coffee spots, fashion boutiques, and creative spaces where culture creators gather.
The lesson? They understood that in 2025, retail success comes from lifestyle integration, not category isolation.
At another stop, I slipped on shoes that were 3D printed in hours, not weeks. Made to fit my exact foot shape with zero waste. The comfort was incredible: light, springy, perfectly cushioned, with ventilation that kept my feet cool.
Polly Polymer, the company behind this technology, is already powering major brands: Cole Haan’s 3D printed Oxfords, Louis Vuitton’s runway pieces with Pharrell, Golden Goose experiments, Skechers custom-fit testing, and Deckers exploring on-demand production.
With 8,000+ material options and ability to scale from one pair to thousands, they’ve made this technology fast, scalable, and store-ready.
Imagine walking into Chadstone, scanning your feet, and picking up custom shoes in just 2 hours?!
No shipping delays. No “sorry, not in your size.” No compromise. The tech works, the comfort is next-level, and the sustainability impact is massive.
At Nice Rice, I chatted with the founder about something fascinating. They launched in 2019 as a menswear brand targeting 32-42 year-olds. Today, 30% of their customers are women, and their Shanghai stores attract teenagers.
They didn’t pivot their strategy. They let their customers evolve their brand.
Started because the founder couldn’t find quality basics anywhere (closest was Uniqlo, but still not right). Now they’re generating $375 million AUD with 25 stores across China, each with unique local design elements.
The insight? Sometimes the best growth comes from listening to customer behaviour instead of forcing your original vision. Every store includes a coffee shop. Why? Because customers wanted to spend time there, not just shop and leave.
The biggest surprise came at Master Kong headquarters. I expected to learn about instant noodles. Instead, I discovered a $15 billion AUD ecosystem that operates like a digital platform.
70 million members in their loyalty program. But here’s the best part – their points work across 5,000+ merchants spanning 100+ categories.
$30 billion AUD exchanged annually through their platform.
They’ve turned loyalty into infrastructure. Supply chain into a service that helps partners. Talent development into a pipeline that creates 7,000+ executives across their network.
While Australian retailers optimise individual touchpoints, Master Kong created a platform where every transaction strengthens the entire system.
They don’t just sell noodles. They’ve built the connective tissue that holds multiple industries together.
Throughout Shanghai, I saw something we’re still debating in Australia: truly cashless retail. A bubble tea shop operating entirely through WeChat Pay. No checkout counter. No cash registers. Just seamless transactions that happen invisibly.
At Gate M Mall, 5,000 dogs visit every weekend because the entire 800-meter development was designed around lifestyle needs, not retail categories. Pet-friendly cafes, comprehensive services, riverside views, customers genuinely never need to leave.
Here’s what struck me most: while we’re optimising strategies from 2015, Chinese retail operates in 2030.
They’ve moved past thinking about stores, categories, and channels. Instead, they think about ecosystems, experiences, and customer evolution.
Australian retail is incredibly sophisticated in many ways. But we’re solving yesterday’s problems with today’s solutions while our customers are already living tomorrow’s reality.
The brands succeeding in Shanghai aren’t just better at execution. They’re asking completely different questions.
Walking through Shanghai’s retail landscape, one question kept coming up: Where do you get inspiration for what you create?
Are we looking at customer behaviour and building around that? Or are we building what feels safe and hoping customers adapt?
The Shanghai brands I visited all started with genuine customer problems and let solutions evolve naturally. They didn’t force their original vision but rather embraced customer-driven change.
So here’s my challenge for you: If you knew your customers were already 5 years ahead of your current strategy, what would you do differently?
Because after four days in Shanghai, I’m convinced they already are.
Driving Growth with Data-Driven Customer Strategies & Business Transformation – Melbourne Australia
We help you navigate today’s complex omni-channel landscape with precision. We leverage strategic analysis and proactive obstacle resolution to drive sustained growth and maintain your competitive edge.
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Eric Morris +61 438 101 297
Anna Samkova +61 425 777 166
