Benlai Shenghuo has announced the official launch of Benlai Bianli, the company’s new mobile app platform, after a two-month trial in in Beijing that attracted more than 1m users.
Benlai Bianli is a new addition to the recent emergence of fresh produce O2O (online-to-offline) platforms in China. While most of them only act as an e-commerce platform to bridge online and offline businesses, Benlai Bianli also positions itself as a supplier.
Supplying fresh produce and other food products to some 300 convenience stores in Beijing, Benlai Bianli’s mobile app allows users to make orders and get them delivered to the nearest convenience store. The store is then responsible for alerting the user and arranging delivery. According to an official statement, this new O2O platform targets office workers as well as families in urban areas who don’t have time to shop.
International convenience store chain FamilyMart is the offline partner of Benlai Bianli. The company said that its 1,400 stores in China would enjoy a ‘comprehensive cooperation’ with Benlai Bianli.
While Benlai Shenghuo founder Yu Huafeng is positive about the new platform, he does not expect smooth sailing just yet. In a recent interview with Chinese online media Sina, he said that fresh produce O2O business was very different in that there was no mature business model or experience to learn from, adding that everyone in the business had to figure things out for themselves.
Benlai Shenghuo was founded in 2012, and now operates business in 162 cities in China. Its fresh produce delivery service is available to more than 20 cities. The company expects sales to reach Yn1bn (US$160m) in 2015.
