National Netizens Online "Chasing for updates": Long lost famous venues, Hema Sam launches a "price war" cake | Hema | Netizens

In order to create a durian thousand layer cake, a well-known member warehouse style supermarket in China launched a dignified "price war".

Recently, the "Century War" between Sam's and Hema X membership stores has been quite lively. Netizens have shown a greater enthusiasm for watching dramas, and have released online revelations and posted "Durian Cake Price Battle Live".

Netizens online watch the price war between Sam and Hema, with pictures sourced from the internet

Between you and me, a thousand layered cake actually dropped over 40 yuan. Netizens all expressed their approval, "I really like simple and unadorned business battles."

Netizens Follow "Price War" Online: One Price per Day

This time, Durian Millennium stood at the forefront of the price war.

When it comes to durian layers, many foodies come from Sam's impression. Durian thousand layers were first sold by Sam, selling for over 128 yuan each.

On August 1st, Hema X member store took the lead in declaring war on Sam. A netizen in Shanghai opened the Hema app and found that the durian thousand layer cake was priced at 99 yuan on Hema. Sam immediately accepted the offer, and the price reduction was also quite precise. Without a word, he cut it to 98.9 yuan, and it was safe to say, "Even if it's ten cents cheaper than you, it's also cheaper.".

The situation between the two sides has become increasingly fierce, but netizens are overjoyed and are chasing live broadcasts on social media platforms. "The long lost business war only becomes interesting with competition."

On August 2nd, the Hema durian cake was reduced to 89 yuan; On August 3rd, Sam offered a one yuan discount of 88 yuan to fight back against Hema. When Hema once again lowered the price to 86 yuan, Sam always followed closely behind and was one yuan cheaper than Hema.

When onlookers were tired of watching TV dramas that were "one yuan cheaper than you", Hema directly used a move to "move the mountain price". In the early morning of August 13th, the latest price for an 8-inch durian layer was 79 yuan per piece. And Sam's durian layer, a Beijing netizen said yesterday that they just bought it, with the latest price of 85 yuan/piece. Another Shanghai netizen revealed that they couldn't get it on the Sam's App and had to go to an offline store to try their luck.

On the early morning of August 13th, the latest quotation for durian floors was 79 yuan/piece

At the same time, netizens are also silently paying attention to the "mountain moving price". When they saw the three words "mountain moving price", enthusiastic netizens still brainstormed ten thousand possibilities, claiming to be "using the craftsman spirit of Yu Gong to move mountains". "But from the literal meaning, does the mountain moving price mean who to move away from?" On the other hand, netizens who watched the excitement and didn't mind the big deal joked, "Should Sam come with a 'kill Ma special price'?"

In addition to the controversy over the popular durian layer by layer, Shanghai netizens have also found that the "moving price" on the Hema App is becoming more and more widely applicable to more products, such as eggs, drinking water, qilin melons, milk, mooncakes and other daily fresh foods.

Hangzhou netizens, who are constantly concerned about the trend of pictures and are itching to see them, ask if there is also a similar "mountain moving price" in Hangzhou?

The reporter from Chao News learned that currently, Hangzhou netizens only have envy. Located in Hangzhou, when opening the Hema App to search for "mountain moving prices," information on such products cannot be found yet. According to multiple sources, currently only Sam's and Hema X member stores in Beijing, Shanghai, and other places are operating, while in the Hangzhou area, no dedicated Hema X member stores have been opened yet.

Supermarkets entering the era of "membership system": launching a "battle to grab people"

This August, the durian floors on the crest of the storm and the membership supermarket behind them have contributed a lot to the reputation of "you come and I go".

The paid membership supermarket has not been in China for a short time and has already attracted a large number of loyal users, among which middle-class families are the most powerful consumer group. In the industry's view, behind the scenes of the thousand layer cake battle, it reflects the competition for talent in the era of middle-class stock.

Sam entered the Chinese market in 1996 and settled in Hangzhou in 2013. At that time, he attracted many Hangzhou netizens to pay their membership fees and venture across most cities to try new things.

In 2019, American retailers opened their first store in mainland China in Shanghai, and the crazy scene of waiting in line for two to three hours to check out is still vividly remembered.

Until October 2020, the first Hema X membership store opened in Shanghai. One year later, Beijing welcomed its first Hema X membership store. It is reported that the first branch of Hema X membership store in Beijing is only 11 kilometers away from the Yizhuang Sam's store, and Hema's 20 kilometer delivery range just covers the area where Yizhuang Sam is located. This also means that as a latecomer, the Hema X membership store and the earliest warehouse style membership store to enter China, Sam's, will engage in a head-on confrontation in the southern city of Beijing.

In recent years, the warehouse club has become increasingly active and ushered in explosive growth. Yonghui, Hualian, Carrefour and other old supermarkets have increased their size, and even Metro AG, which abandoned the club in the past, has returned to membership. Just last month, Gaoxin Retail announced that its M member store will open two new stores in Nanjing and Changzhou, each of which will be upgraded and renovated by RT Mart stores.

As supermarkets collectively enter the era of "membership", in the industry's view, warehouse style membership stores are becoming more and more like the optimal solution for offline retail. According to data from Euromonitor Consulting, among the mainstream offline retail formats in China, compared to four years ago, only warehouse style member stores maintained revenue growth, with an increase of nearly 20%.

Undoubtedly, everyone wants to share a portion of the cake. For the sustainable income of merchants, adding paying members is the most effective way to lock in the long tail consumption of members in the future.

Netizens are launching "price comparison" strategies one after another

However, in the pursuit of cost-effectiveness, regardless of whether it is middle-class or not, there seems to be only one iron rule: whoever is cheaper has a bit more attraction. Looking at major social media platforms, "price comparison stickers" for popular products in membership stores often appear, making consumers more sensitive to the fact that they have bought more expensive.

It is foreseeable that under competitive pressure, in order to compete for users, major member stores may have to shake off their arms and fight again.