???? ?Since the reform and opening up, China’s economy has developed rapidly, science and technology have advanced by leaps and bounds, and people’s living standards have improved day by day. People’s "buying in buy buy" has been constantly changing, from the supply and marketing cooperatives "shopping by ticket" to supermarket shopping, and then to the online "Taobao" consumption experience. Now, it has entered the era of code scanning and cashless payment. In the past 40 years, the changes in people’s shopping methods have witnessed the changes in people’s lives brought about by economic and social development since the reform and opening up.
????The change from ticket purchase to online shopping reflects the improvement of people’s quality of life.
In the era of planned economy, people can only buy things through supply and marketing cooperatives with tickets. Even if they have money, they can’t buy goods without tickets. On holidays, there will be a large number of people shopping in front of supply and marketing cooperatives around the country. People copy sleeves and stomp their feet, standing in the cold wind for hours, often standing in line before dawn.
In the shops in the early 1990s, there were not many goods, but many people patronized them. Especially on holidays, people often had to bring a lot of cash to buy things.
In the 21st century, with the development of economy and technology, e-commerce is also coming step by step in everyone’s curiosity. The promotion and popularization of online shopping makes it convenient to buy things. From cars and home appliances to clothes and snacks, from standardized goods to personalized products such as customized gifts, online shopping coverage is getting wider and wider. Almost everything related to daily life can be bought online. Sitting in front of the computer and clicking the mouse, you can browse a large number of goods, buy what you like, and experience the convenience of "staying at home and buying all over the world". Online shopping has become a part of daily life in many Chinese.
From ticket shopping to online shopping, the transformation of shopping methods is dizzying. In just 40 years, the "variation" of shopping style reflects the changes of people’s lives and the brilliant achievements of reform and opening up.
????The evolution from store counters to unmanned supermarket shopping places has brought about the upgrading of consumer experience.
From counters to supermarkets, to shopping centers, to urban complexes, online shopping and unmanned supermarkets, shopping places have been constantly changing since the reform and opening up 40 years ago, which has greatly changed the consumption experience of ordinary people.
In 1978, the curtain of China’s reform and opening up was opened, and the number of state-owned stores and collective stores gradually increased. At that time, the shop assistant stood in the counter to introduce, the customer stood outside to watch, and the shelves were placed inside. The customer’s understanding of the goods depended entirely on the recommendation of the assistant.
After 1996, various new formats, such as supermarkets, convenience stores and specialty store, appeared one after another. In 2001, China formally joined the World Trade Organization, and the entry of foreign supermarket enterprises brought a refreshing experience to consumers. Shelf-style open-shelf retail began to replace the long-standing counter retail in China.
In the 21st century, with the rapid development of the Internet, the network is increasingly involved in all aspects of people’s lives. As one of the emerging shopping methods, online shopping is increasingly favored by people. Select the things you are satisfied with in the online mall, pay online, and deliver the goods home by express delivery in two or three days, saving time and effort. With the increasing scale of mobile users and the rapid development of mobile payment, shopping websites shift to mobile platforms, and mobile shopping gradually replaces computer shopping. Mobile shopping relies on Weibo, WeChat and other mobile social platforms and other e-commerce apps, which breaks through the limitations of location and realizes shopping and payment anytime and anywhere.
Nowadays, shopping places are still constantly refreshing, and unattended emerging formats are appearing more and more around people. "Scan the code into the store, select the goods and put them in the automatic cashier, scan the code to pay, and go out to leave." Shopping can be completed in a few simple steps. There is no clerk or cashier, and you can pay by brushing your face without bringing cash or even a mobile phone. As a new retail format, "unmanned supermarket" greatly optimizes consumers’ shopping experience, truly opens up online and offline, and deeply integrates online data systems and offline shopping systems.
????From survival shopping to development shopping, the new pursuit of consumption witnesses the changes of the times.
In the past, there was a shortage of materials and a single variety in the market in China, and people could only satisfy their food and clothing, not to mention other consumption. In recent years, with the growth of national disposable income, Chinese people have changed from rigid demand consumption to non-rigid demand consumption and personalized consumption, and their consumption life has changed from survival to development, from "food and clothing" to "well-off".
People have a new pursuit of consumption. Chinese, whose wallet is getting bigger and bigger, is not satisfied with domestic products, and has started to "buy from buy buy" more and more around the world. In 2005, Chinese people began to try to buy foreign goods through overseas agents. In the following years, overseas purchasing developed rapidly. Nowadays, with the improvement of commodity quality requirements and better customs supervision, overseas purchasing is gradually transitioning to cross-border e-commerce. Cross-border electronic commerce, as a new mode of online shopping in the "Four New Inventions", uses Internet information technology to shorten the long chain of traditional trade, quickly connect the demand and supply of the whole world, and greatly facilitate people’s lives. Taking the "Double Eleven" in 2017 as an example, according to Alibaba’s data, people from 225 countries and regions participated in this shopping spree, generating a total of 812 million logistics orders, and the goods sold that day covered 52 core business districts and over 1 million merchants around the world. Through the cross-border e-commerce platform, consumers and businesses have truly realized "buy the world and sell the world".
In the 40 years of reform and opening up, the rapid development of the Internet has become one of the most distinctive and prominent symbols in modern China. The way of shopping in Chinese has gone through one course after another over time. The changes of shopping patterns in Chinese witnessed the improvement of people’s quality of life and the great achievements made in reform and opening up. (edited by Liu Wei)