E-Commerce grocer Yihaodian opens 1,000 stores overnight

Guerilla stunt places world’s first virtual 3D stores on the doorsteps of the competition and at China’s most iconic landmarks.

Following the successful video series “The Best Choice,” Yihaodian, one of China’s leading e-commerce websites, has once again teamed up with Ogilvy & Mather Advertising/Shanghai – this time taking the battle for China’s grocery shoppers ‘offline.’

In a guerilla stunt, Yihaodian has just launched 1,000 stores overnight. These stores are located at some of China’s most iconic landmark locations as well as directly in front of Yihaodian’s offline competitor brick & mortar supermarket stores.

The interesting twist is that these Yihaodian stores are not real brick & mortar stores. They are virtual 3D stores. Consumers can only see, visit and shop in them by using the Yihaodian Virtual Store App while being physically at one of the 1,000 locations.

These location-tagged virtual stores have just launched in iconic areas of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Each of the stores is packed with promotional discount coupons and high-value, free gift vouchers that are just waiting to be claimed by shoppers.

Yihaodian Chairman Mr. YU Gang said, “The most distinguishing feature of our augmented reality 3D virtual stores is its bringing online shopping to the offline world, combining the advantages of online and traditional retail through constant innovation. Not only is this one-stop shopping experience cost-effective, it’s a direct home delivery service that’s free from the restrictions of store location, shelf space and operating hours through its mobile and e-commerce capabilities. Consumers can enjoy the convenience of online shopping while still having fun purchasing from these virtual stores that are set up in residential communities, offices, parks, and even on the Great Wall.”

Mr. YUAN Yong, Managing Director of Ogilvy & Mather Advertising/Shanghai, said, “With this clever stunt we want to create buzz and raise awareness of Yihaodian’s more convenient shopping offer. While traditional offline retailers are desperately trying to move their businesses online, we thought we’d do just the opposite… and give the game an interesting twist.”

“The Yihaodian virtual stores are a world’s first. Never before have we seen GPS location tagged augmented reality buildings where consumers can actually go shopping. It works just like visiting a traditional offline supermarket. You enter the store and browse the aisles for products then buy them before you leave the shop. All this is possible with the Yihaodian Virtual Store App,” said Sascha Engel, National Director, Digital Lab – Ogilvy & Mather/China.

The Yihaodian Virtual Store App can now be downloaded free in the Apple App store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wu-xian1hao-dian/id561927089?ls=1&mt=8

View the online ad here: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDYxOTAyODEy.html

Yihaodian.com and Yihaodian’s Sina Weibo page (http://e.weibo.com/yihaodian) will also drive netizens to download the app. A press event was held this week in Beijing with more to come in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Stores are open now!

CREDITS
Project title: “1,000 Virtual Stores”
Client: Yihaodian
Brief: Create awareness of Yihaodian among offline grocery shoppers
Creative agency: Ogilvy & Mather Advertising/Shanghai
Creative Directors: Dirk Eschenbacher, Ali Grayeli, Sascha Engel
Art Directors: Dirk Eschenbacher, Xiaoming Lai, Eric Rong
Copywriters: Kweichee Lam, Rita Yang, Quetina Yang
Innovation Planners: Sascha Engel, Marc Violo
Agency Producers: Marc Violo, Tommy Pang
Account Service: YUAN Yong, Nicole Hu, Eden Wu, Minty Xu
Production house: Axis Creative Integration & Shi Shang Architecture
Exposure: Mobile, Web, PR

  Asia, China, E-Commerce, Food, Grocery, Ogilvy, Online, WPP, Yihaodian