French supermarket chain Carrefour is allowing its Chinese customers to pre-order live crustaceans and shellfish from overseas, and is promising direct delivery to customers’ homes within 24 hours.
The new service, which the retailer introduced in December on a trial basis, appears to be a play for high-income Chinese consumers, who have come to favor online shopping at e-commerce giants like JD.com, Tmall.com, and Yihaodian.com.
To entice customers into trying the service, Carrefour has cut the price of one of its live “Boston” lobster (which its promotional material states is imported from Canada) from CNY 109 (USD 16.78, EUR 13.91) to CNY 68.80 (USD 10.60, EUR 8.78).
“Without stepping outside the door, customers can experience supermarket shopping in a convenient and fast way,” the company’s ad reads.
The service will initially be limited to Beijing and Shanghai, but Carrefour has announced plans to eventually bring the service to 18 Chinese cities. To do so, Carrefour is cooperating with online meal delivery specialist Meituan, as well as the meal delivery service of Baidu, China’s leading internet search firm.
