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zhejiang online news, august 30 (reporter chen lei)go to a newly opened regional first store to check in and try out new products, go to various exhibitions to experience the charm of "new" products... nowadays, with the increase in consumer shopping options, whenever a brand's first store or a product's first show or exhibition lands in a certain area, the word "first" always attracts a group of consumers' curious eyes.

　　this is one of the charms of the initial public offering economy.

the so-called first-launch economy, evolved from the first-store economy, refers to the general term for economic activities such as enterprises launching new products, launching new formats, new models, new services, new technologies, and opening first stores. compared with the familiar first-store economy, the first-launch economy includes the "first appearance" of new achievements such as enterprise stores, products, services, and technologies, and emphasizes the entire process of brand chain development.

since the beginning of this year, the first-launch economy has become a new highlight in the consumer market. why is the first store launch so "attractive"? how should zhejiang promote the first-launch economy?

brands’ first stores have opened in zhejiang

in the consumer field, when talking about "first launch", we cannot avoid "first store". it is the first store opened by a brand in a certain area. it is not only a channel for urban commercial complexes to attract consumers, but also an engine for a city or a business district to stimulate consumption vitality and enhance consumption level.

in zhejiang, hangzhou introduced 110 first-of-its-kind quality stores in the first half of this year, up 18% year-on-year, including 15 national first-of-its-kind stores and 26 provincial first-of-its-kind stores.according to incomplete statistics,in the first half of this year, a total of 88 first stores were opened in ningbo’s key monitored shopping malls, a year-on-year increase of 120%.

the first-store level distribution map introduced in hangzhou in the first half of this year. data source: winshang big data

many brands have opened their first stores in zhejiang. what are they looking for?

in the first half of this year, hangzhou mixc opened a total of 7 first stores, and the japanese dessert shop "ganweichu kamakura" located on the basement floor is one of them. walking into the store, there are more than a dozen simple design tables and chairs placed in the warm space of japanese log color. consumers always come to the store to order a piece of bracken cake with a cup of matcha and enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea time.

as a popular dessert brand overseas, kamakura has opened more than 60 stores around the world and is a permanent fixture on the list of must-visit food for tourists in japan. the mixc store is its first store in mainland china. the store specializes in handmade kamakura warabi mochi and matcha drinks. two months after opening, it still receives more than 1,000 orders a day, and there are new customers who come almost every day. "before, i saw this store online and heard that it was the first store in mainland china, but i never had the chance to try it. this time i happened to be nearby, so i thought about trying it and checking in." in front of the store, a customer told reporters while checking the product pictures in the ordering app.

the opening of the first store attracted consumers to line up to try out the new products. photo provided by the interviewee

"during the renovation stage, many customers were attracted by the 'first store in mainland china' on the fence and came to inquire." wang minlin, head of mingdao group, the general agent of kamakura in china, saw the appeal of the first store to consumers. many customers searched for the brand online after seeing the first store, making the store a little popular on social platforms before it even opened.

why did the brand open its first store in mainland china in hangzhou instead of in first-tier cities? "first of all, we were attracted by zhejiang's business environment and commercial vitality. in addition, zhejiang people are very receptive to new brands. we hope to bring diversified consumer experience to everyone through the opening of the first store in mainland china." wang minlin said that hangzhou, in particular, has gradually increased its international influence after last year's asian games, and has also allowed overseas brands to see a huge potential market.

the popularity of the store opening also confirms this idea. since the store opened, it has still ranked first in the city's bread and dessert category on a certain review list. in order to continue to release the consumption potential of the "first store launch", the reporter learned that in actual implementation, the store also made corresponding adjustments to the products based on local conditions. for example, the "matcha buffalo latte" developed according to the tastes of domestic consumers is now the most popular in the store and was launched simultaneously in nearly 60 stores in japan.

the store still has many ideas for the operation of its first store, such as the mid-autumn festival gift boxes currently being launched, and the upcoming seasonal limited products, etc. with the help of a series of new products and new formats, the store will go from being popular to being "evergreen."

　why is the first store launch so “charming”?

this august, my country's first 3a game masterpiece "black myth: wukong" was officially launched. it not only quickly dominated multiple game platforms, but also led to the popularity of related franchised products and even filming locations, once again demonstrating the driving force of "first release and first show".

three days after its launch, black myth: wukong sales exceeded 10 million sets of imagesblack myth: wukong official weibo

why is the first store launch so "charming"? "things are precious because they are rare, and stores are unique because they are new. the trendy new products brought by the first launch economy can often quickly attract consumers' attention, satisfying their consumption tendency of "loving the new and disliking the old" and their pursuit of new things and high-quality life. they are then spread through social platforms, bringing continuous traffic." recently, chen yingzi, a researcher at the consumption and circulation research center of zhejiang academy of commerce, has also been paying close attention to the first launch economy. in her opinion, the first launch economy not only brings new experiences to consumers, but its charm also lies in converting consumers' curiosity into sales, adding new momentum to consumption.

taking hangzhou's gongshu district as an example, in 2023, gongshu district introduced a total of 65 first stores of various types. the two companies with the highest concentration of first stores, hangzhou tower and wulin intime, had social retail sales exceeding 10.5 billion yuan and 4.3 billion yuan respectively in 2023. among them, the average daily customer flow of the first stores in the two major shopping malls was about 16% higher than that of the entire shopping mall.

moreover, as an emerging economic form, the first-launch economy is not limited to a single store or link. it covers the "chain development" of enterprises from creative research and development to promotion and operation, and is also the cross-integration of multiple industrial chains. on the basis of the first store, the first-launch economy has expanded its scope, which also means a broader market and more lasting appeal.

"from a product to a technology or service, behind the first launch is the renewal of an industrial chain, and its core driving force is innovation. therefore, the first launch economy not only brings more business opportunities and profit space to enterprises, but more importantly, it promotes industrial transformation and upgrading." chen yingzi believes that by promoting consumption upgrades, the first launch economy guides the transfer of resources such as talent, capital, and technology from low-end industries to strategic emerging industries. in this process, the diversified needs of consumers have also put forward higher requirements for front-end production, driving enterprises to form new competitive advantages through technological innovation, and further promoting the evolution of industrial innovation to mid-to-high-end.

for example, the application of driverless cars in wuhan some time ago became popular on the internet. the "first debut" of autonomous driving technology made wuhan a frontier for driverless vehicle testing and also promoted the rapid development of the local related industrial chain.

how can cities seize the hot track?

in recent years, diversified forms of initial public offering economy have not only enriched the retail formats in urban business districts and activated consumption potential, but also helped to expand employment, increase supply, and continuously add new impetus to urban development.

seizing the initial economic development momentum has become an important layout for major cities to enhance their competitiveness.

for zhejiang, which has already built a number of smart business districts, the efficient and intelligent facilities and high-precision, real-time related data in the business districts can effectively help zhejiang to accurately plan and develop the first-launch economy. zhejiang also attaches great importance to the first-launch and first-store economy. this year, the provincial department of commerce issued the "guiding opinions on accelerating the development of new consumer brands in zhejiang province", which clearly proposed "building a platform for the first launch of new consumer brands." at the prefecture-level, hangzhou, ningbo, wenzhou and other places have actively introduced special policies to promote the gathering of excellent consumer resources at home and abroad.

with the support of policies, zhejiang is increasingly becoming an ideal place for domestic and foreign brands to "launch". in the future, how should zhejiang continue to exert its strength in the field of the first-launch economy? chen yingzi believes that if the potential of the first-launch economy is to be continuously released, brands and shopping malls must work hard, and cities must also give strength.

"for brands, the key to staying evergreen is endless innovation and creativity." where do these ideas come from? chen yingzi suggested that brands should identify the diversified needs of consumer groups such as generation z youth and the new middle class, increase their efforts in scientific and technological research and development, promote the accelerated integration of new quality productivity into the consumer field, and strengthen the first-release reserve. brands with conditions can also explore user co-creation models, guide consumers to deeply participate in the "first release", and enhance the vitality and affinity of the brand.

shopping malls can "tailor" their own business characteristics and introduce personalized stores. "don't introduce whatever is popular, find the right combination of first stores for yourself, and enhance the personalized charm of the mall through the first stores and first launches." chen yingzi believes that supporting services should also be improved, such as providing venues for brand launches and first exhibitions, arranging supporting environments, and giving more traffic.

for cities, the key to promoting the "sustainable development" of the ipo economy is to build a good development ecology. "on the one hand, we need to combine the construction of high-quality pedestrian streets and smart business districts to create high-quality consumer clusters with international influence and form a more attractive ipo platform." chen yingzi said, on the other hand, we need to accelerate the gathering of professional service agencies in the ipo economy such as creative planning, intermediary brokerage, training and consulting, and promote cooperation and collaboration among brand channels, brand operators and professional service agencies.