Domestic consumers' attention to "receiving the new iPhone in 30 minutes" has even surpassed the release of the new iPhone itself.

After the release of the new iPhone, consumers noticed that on food delivery platforms such as Ele.me, they could prepay and lock in their order as soon as pre-sales opened on the 13th, and receive the new phone within 30 minutes of its official release on the 20th. This was previously unimaginable.

From rushing to stores to ordering on food delivery apps, the biggest market change is the emergence and popularity of instant retail.

A paradigm shift in consumption patterns has made instant retail one of the most dynamic segments in the market today. Instant retail not only transforms traditional local business models but also drives market growth with its speed, variety, and quality.

1. From overnight queues to 30-minute delivery, what has changed?

When we think of the iPhone, we associate it with fashion, quality, and more. But for China's industrial development, the iPhone also symbolizes the dawn of the mobile internet era.

Over the past decade, the iPhone's updates and releases have driven rapid technological advancements in the digital industry both domestically and internationally, with the term "iPhone moment" often used to describe pivotal industry milestones.

Simultaneously, the iPhone's releases have also witnessed the evolution of China's business landscape.

When the iPhone 4 officially launched in mainland China in 2010, it sparked a nationwide buying frenzy. Hundreds of Apple fans queued overnight outside the Apple Store in Beijing's Xidan Joy City, hoping to be among the first to get their hands on the new device.

This marked the beginning of a digital product boom in China, characterized by store visits, queues, rushes to buy, and scalpers.

The release of the new iPhone bore witness to the madness of an era. Once upon a time, the spectacle of an iPhone launch was etched in the memories of the previous generation of internet users. However, today's internet users rarely witness such chaotic scenes.

Fifteen years have passed since then. Nowadays, with the highly developed Chinese internet and related services, consumers' purchasing habits have quietly changed. Although the enthusiasm for snagging a new iPhone remains undiminished, the channels and methods of purchase have evolved.

On the early morning of September 10, Apple unveiled the iPhone 16, once again becoming a hot topic across the internet.

Unlike the overnight queues of over a decade ago, the "battlefield" has shifted online for the launch of the new iPhone.

Apart from pre-ordering on Apple's official website, the most notable trend is purchasing through food delivery apps. Compared to traditional methods, food delivery apps offer instant gratification, allowing customers to place orders and receive deliveries promptly, truly embodying the phrase "the earlier you buy, the sooner you enjoy."

On the early morning of September 10, during the 2024 Apple Fall Event, the iPhone 16 was officially unveiled. Later that morning, Ele.me announced that it would collaborate with nearly 4,000 Apple Authorized Resellers to support pre-sales and the simultaneous launch of the new iPhone 16.

According to reports, Ele.me customers can receive their new iPhone 16 within half an hour of purchase. From overnight queues to instant online orders, consumer behavior has shifted from offline queuing to rapid online purchases.

This is the first time Ele.me has supported pre-sales of a new product. For the iPhone 16, customers can prepay in full at Apple Authorized Resellers on Ele.me starting at 8 PM on September 13 to secure their order and schedule a delivery time. Additionally, Ele.me has partnered with Huabei to offer interest-free installment plans over 3, 6, and 12 months for the entire Apple product line.

In fact, many consumers have already purchased new iPhones through Ele.me since last year. When the iPhone 15 launched in 2023, Ele.me delivery riders were seen crowding stores to pick up orders.

2. Buying everything is about buying service

While purchasing Apple products or other electronics through food delivery apps is no longer unusual, these platforms offer more than meets the eye in the electronics category.

Electronic products are characterized by high standardization and high unit prices.

High standardization facilitates reduced transaction costs and enhances trust between buyers and sellers. However, the high unit prices can cause concerns for consumers.

For instance, a brand-new iPhone costs around 7,000-8,000 yuan, making it crucial to alleviate consumers' worries during purchase and delivery. Food delivery apps have implemented measures to ensure a seamless experience.

Ele.me uses a signature code system to ensure accurate delivery, and it also offers customized delivery services, including tamper-evident packaging and dedicated delivery personnel, to enhance the customer experience.

The head of Ele.me's 3C category stated, "Beyond our delivery efficiency, we aim to enhance the delivery speed and user experience for high-value items like the iPhone through additional measures. By continuously optimizing service experiences in specific scenarios, we aim to create differentiated value for consumers through instant retail channels – a crucial aspect of our platform."

The significance of delivering iPhones through food delivery apps lies in the fact that consumers feel confident purchasing and receiving such high-value items on these platforms, fostering trust in the platform's ability to "buy and deliver everything." This represents the pinnacle of consumer trust in the platform.

Of course, building this trust is just the beginning. Meeting consumers' needs requires further efforts.

In recent years, Ele.me has significantly expanded its electronics offerings and store coverage, greatly enhancing consumer satisfaction.

In May 2023, over 500 Apple Authorized Resellers initially joined Ele.me, offering the full range of Apple products. Currently, nearly 4,000 stores are listed on the platform, covering 335 cities. Bestsellers include the iPhone 15 series, iPhone 14 series, and iPads. Apart from new product launches, Apple products are also popular as gifts during festivals like Chinese New Year, Qixi Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival.

Last May, Ele.me and Suning Tesco announced a strategic partnership, with the initial integration of 600 Suning Tesco stores nationwide onto Ele.me, covering over 150 cities. In September 2022, Ele.me partnered with Xiaomi, listing over 3,000 "Xiaomi Home" stores across China, allowing customers to purchase a wide range of Xiaomi's digital electronics, including mobile phones, power banks, and rice cookers, anytime and anywhere through Ele.me.

While electronics represent the pinnacle of consumer trust in the platform's ability to "buy and deliver everything," categories like flowers, gifts, supermarkets, and convenience stores continuously reinforce this trust.

Frequent and scenario-based demands have made instant retail a new growth driver for local life services.

During the sweltering summer, iced cups frequently trended on social media. To better serve the iced beverage scene, Ele.me collaborated with 50,000 retail stores to offer millions of iced cups for just 0.01 yuan to customers nationwide. During the Great Heat period, Ele.me's iced cup deliveries surged by 350% year-on-year, with a 320% increase in iced cup combinations with fruit and vegetable drinks and around a 300% jump in pairings with alcoholic beverages like beer.

Furthermore, Ele.me's 24-hour convenience stores contribute to the growth of local life services.

All-day operation has become the new norm for convenience stores, and the round-the-clock delivery services provided by instant retail platforms like Ele.me have accelerated this trend. According to Ele.me data, as of July this year, one in every three convenience stores on the platform offered 24-hour services. Compared to the previous year, the number of 24-hour convenience stores grew by 52%, outpacing the overall growth of convenience stores.

3. The future of instant retail: speed, variety, and quality

It's essential to understand that as a new format in local life services, instant retail not only improves traditional product distribution but also drives growth in this sector.

Most notably, instant retail creates new demands through its speed and variety.

Take iced cups as an example; they represent a new demand fueled by instant retail's "speed" factor.

It's easy to see that there's an urgent need for iced cups due to their immediacy. Without "speed" as a guarantee, the window for satisfying this demand might be as short as half an hour, which is crucial for creating new demands.

There are actually many similar demands that were previously unsatisfied.

Moreover, Ele.me's 24-hour convenience stores meet the "variety" demand, contributing to the growth of local life services.

Instant retail operates in a multilateral market where multiple industry factors intersect, collectively influencing consumer perceptions. Balanced development is crucial for platforms.

When a consumer demand arises, they consider various aspects, such as whether the platform offers a wide range of products, whether deliveries are swift to enhance the experience, and whether delivery services are superior.

We believe that in today's relatively developed and mature instant retail landscape, platforms will ultimately compete by focusing on retail experiences, optimizing services to amplify value and differentiate themselves.

For instance, in delivering electronics, Ele.me not only offers high-value delivery solutions like tamper-evident packaging and dedicated delivery personnel but also partners with Huabei to provide interest-free installment plans, creating a differentiated experience for customers.

Similarly, during peak holiday seasons when flowers and gifts are in high demand, Ele.me has launched a "managed service," integrating features like anniversary reminders, content-based e-commerce, and AI assistants into its "Flowers & Gifts" channel. Customers can customize anniversary reminders, filter orders based on gift recipients' preferences, and even have AI write greeting cards that are directly delivered. This represents efficient and technologically differentiated, value-added experiences.

Conclusion

Instant retail has emerged as a crucial battleground in the future of consumption, representing one of the few bright spots with consistent double-digit annual growth in recent years.

According to the Ministry of Commerce's "Instant Retail Industry Development Report (2023)," the market size of the instant retail industry reached 504.286 billion yuan in 2022, with an average annual growth rate exceeding 50% in recent years. It is projected that the market size will triple by 2025 compared to 2022.

It's worth noting that from today's perspective, instant retail is still in its infancy. The ever-evolving business landscape and fierce competition will continue to drive new trends.

However, the delivery of new iPhones through food delivery apps marks just the beginning for instant retail channels.