When the "first-store economy" meets traditional commerce, a quiet revolution in consumption upgrades and urban vitality is taking shape. From robot-run coffee shops to riverside concept boutiques, from international flagship debuts to incubators for Chinese original streetwear brands, the first-store economy is injecting fresh momentum into urban business districts while turning routine mall visits into immersive experiences that blend technology, culture, and lifestyle, giving a solid boost to consumer spending.
Traditional retail finds its breakthrough
China is currently in the midst of a rapid transition between old and new growth drivers, and the accumulating strength of new momentum is contributing significantly to economic expansion. Thanks to their distinct ambience and built-in foot traffic, traditional shopping venues have become the go-to locations for brands looking to open flagship stores or host debut shows and exhibitions. At the same time, the first-store economy has handed these legacy retailers a much-needed path toward reinvention, serving as a key breakthrough in their transformation.
Right before the May Day holiday this year, robotics firm Unitree Technology opened its first direct-sale store on the ground floor of Yintai in88 in Beijing's Wangfujing district. Speaking at the 2026 Wangfujing Forum, founder Wang Xingxing said the decision to open here was not simply about selling products, but about letting more people get up close with robots, experience them, and understand them firsthand.
When new products enter the market, offline channels are indispensable to match supply with demand. On one hand, a new technology cannot truly enter the consumer market on the strength of technical parameters alone; more importantly, consumers need to clearly grasp the connection between the technology and their daily lives. On the other hand, the physical space and existing foot traffic of traditional retail create highly concentrated consumption scenarios, where shoppers with a "let's go check it out" mindset make it possible for new products and services to be seen, felt, and accepted.
As one of the most iconic commercial districts in the country, Beijing's Wangfujing area welcomed roughly 55 million visits in the first half of this year, with sales climbing about 5% year on year. "In the past two years, smart home appliances, intelligent robots and other new products have begun entering the market. I believe that as technology iterates and improves and supply better matches demand, they will reach households just like phones, computers and cars did, satisfying people's aspirations for a better life while generating new consumer growth," said Yang Mu, director of the Market Operation and Consumption Promotion Department at the Ministry of Commerce.
While new momentum fuels the first-store economy, traditional retail is also exploring fresh business models to cater to consumers' growing appetite for experiential shopping, giving rise to a wave of first stores brimming with local character. Take Chongqing's Daronghui: ride the elevator to the 12th-floor terrace and step out onto the Sky Boutique Street. The view hits you at once, the grand confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers and the modern skyline of Raffles Chongqing spread out before your eyes. Here, sightseeing and shopping go hand in hand, offering customers an altogether different retail experience.
"The Sky Boutique Street is a cluster of original niche designer brands we incubated after upgrading our traditional clothing market," said Huang Yuedong, operations manager at the site. Pairing the city's one-of-a-kind skyline with fashion has carved out an entirely new "cloud economy" model in Yuzhong District. One shop, Fangshiji, blends clothing retail with a deep coffee culture. In the eyes of its manager, Zhang Xiaoqin, weaving scene innovation and service upgrades into everyday dressing is the greatest appeal. "So whether it's the greenery, the décor, or the outfits, we aim to create a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. Customers can browse at their own pace, sip coffee, and take in the river view, all in one immersive leisure experience."
The recently released Opinions on Accelerating Innovation and Development in the Retail Industry sets out a future in which "offline retail becomes a destination for shopping, leisure, immersive experiences, entertainment and social interaction." As one of the breakthrough routes for traditional commerce, the first-store economy is seizing the experience economy as its main battleground, aligning with industrial trends and continuously responding to the evolving demands of consumers.
Local lifestyle draws repeat visitors
In recent years, the first-store economy, centered on debut stores, shows, exhibitions and performances, has become a hotspot in consumer markets nationwide. Yet while first launches generate buzz, they also raise a key question: how to sustain that excitement and convert it into long-term foot traffic. Experts say the first-store economy is deeply intertwined with the city itself, and only by embedding it into the fabric of urban culture can it cultivate a growing base of repeat customers, not only keeping locals intrigued but also tempting outsiders and international visitors to come and sample something new.
Cities, with their powerful capacity to radiate and attract customers, play a pivotal role in this dynamic. Early on the morning of August 16, the 7Fresh Coffee outlet at Galaxy SOHO in Beijing's Chaoyang District welcomed a steady stream of patrons. As the first 24-hour smart unmanned coffee shop under JD.com's freshly brewed beverage brand, the store officially opened its doors that day, with robotic arms handling everything from grinding and extracting to pouring each cup. On-site, reporters observed that this small slice of local life had also drawn in foreign tourists eager to explore. A cup of robot-crafted coffee delivers a pronounced sense of techno-futurism, enriching daily life for residents while giving visitors an entirely different consumer encounter.
As consumption scenarios evolve, the texture of everyday life is woven into urban tourism, allowing travelers to do more than just "see the sights," but to actually "live the life." When the first-store economy becomes part of a city's cultural identity, it gains a distinctive charm that resonates with a broader audience. Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy and director of the Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, argues that any lifestyle that brings well-being to local residents and satisfies their need for a better life can become a resource that appeals to contemporary tourists. Tourism resources, he says, will thus become more ubiquitous in supply, ushering in an era of increasingly diversified and innovative development.
Traditional Chinese-style attire, pan-button footwear, limited-edition collaborations... Step into the adidas Originals store in the Jiefangbei commercial area, and the shelves are packed with the latest apparel, shoes and hats. In August, the peak of summer vacation, fashion-forward shoppers fill the store, browsing and trying on items. "This is the first adidas Originals FDD two-story direct-sale store in the Sichuan-Chongqing region, where FDD stands for 'Fashion Destination Door.' A significant share of our daily customers are out-of-town visitors and foreign nationals, and on opening day alone we recorded sales exceeding 150,000 yuan while hosting over 60 groups of international guests," said Yin Hongying, general manager of the Jiefangbei department store under Chongqing's major retail group.
As one of Chongqing's tax-refund stores for departing foreign visitors, the Jiefangbei outlet saw its tax rebate transactions surge 58.36% month-on-month in July, up 39-fold from the same period last year. Data shows that in the first half of this year, China welcomed 22.914 million inbound foreign visitors, a year-on-year increase of 20.4%. Surveys indicate that more than 90% of respondents now view mobile payments, high-speed rail and shared mobility as integral to the Chinese travel experience. A growing number of international tourists are no longer satisfied with quick "check-in" sightseeing; instead, they are choosing to return to China repeatedly, exploring different regions in greater depth.
Each city shines in its own way
The 15th Five-Year Plan for Expanding Consumption calls for promoting the first-store economy in line with local conditions. This year, cities across the country have been applying multifaceted efforts to the first-store economy, refreshing urban scenarios to draw foot traffic and injecting a steady stream of new energy into the consumer market.
In March, Shanghai released version 4.0 of its "First in Shanghai" policy, for the first time explicitly supporting the creation of first-store economy clusters, the construction of first-launch centers, and the development of brand incubation platforms. The city's focus has shifted from merely importing international flagship stores to nurturing local creativity and cultivating original brands. A wave of incubation platforms for Chinese heritage brands has emerged, helping Shanghai evolve from a brand destination into a fashion trendsetter.
Tianjin's commercial vitality is rooted in its long-standing openness. As an international consumption center, the city has seen first stores flock in and events roll out one after another, making it an increasingly important launchpad for trend-driven consumption. Over the past five years, Tianjin has introduced more than 2,200 first stores of both domestic and international brands. In its 2025 application guide for pilot projects involving new consumption models, new formats and new scenarios, the city has included the improvement of the first-store economy service system within its scope of support.
In late August, Shenzhen released its Several Measures to Accelerate the Development of the First-Store Economy and Boost Consumption. The policy states that the city will support the opening of pioneering international-level, national-level and city-level flagship stores, as well as exhibition and experience centers for smart-device products based on domestic open-source systems in key shopping districts. Eligible projects can receive one-time rewards of up to 3 million yuan.
Yet even as the first-store economy continues to heat up, one must also acknowledge the growing problem of homogenization. Many cities are importing the same set of brands, with similar store fit-outs and marketing playbooks, giving rise to a "thousand cities, one face" phenomenon. Hong Yong, associate researcher at the Credit Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, notes that as markets shift and consumer demands escalate, the pace of brand iteration is accelerating. Once-popular names may fade away if they fail to meet evolving needs, while emerging brands rise rapidly through innovative products and services. To break free of this impasse and push the first-store economy from "traffic-driven heat" toward "quality-driven impact," the key lies in adhering to the core principle of local adaptation set out in the Plan, avoiding homogeneous cutthroat competition, and pursuing a path of distinctive, ecosystem-based and innovative high-quality development.
The first-store economy is more than a business model innovation; it is an amplifier of urban appeal. Whether its momentum endures hinges on resolving the homogenization problem and genuinely taking root in a city's cultural soil and consumer needs. Going forward, only by insisting on location-specific strategies and differentiated growth can the first-store economy evolve from a passing trend into an enduring classic, breathing sustained vitality into the consumer market.