[In the Picture] Wingzz China: autonomous robots become commonplace, from the supermarket to the taxi

The last three days of the Wingzz China retail tour went from Alibaba in Hangzhou to the technology companies of Shenzhen. What stands out most: autonomous robots are not a vision of the future there, but are already shaping how Chinese people shop, produce, move around, and even have their lunch delivered.

Alibaba connects retail and logistics

Day five began on Alibaba’s campus in Hangzhou. The combination of Alibaba, supermarket chain Freshippo and logistics company Cainiao made it especially clear how strongly different parts of the retail chain are becoming intertwined.

At Freshippo, the supermarket is simultaneously a store, fulfilment location and restaurant. Customers can choose products physically, pay digitally or order online for local delivery. Fresh fish and seafood can be prepared on site. That combination illustrates Alibaba’s idea of ‘New Retail’: online and offline are no longer separate channels, but use the same infrastructure.

Cainiao extends that logic into logistics. Automation, data and artificial intelligence are meant to move goods through the network ever more efficiently. For European retailers, that connection is especially interesting: digitalisation does not stop at the webshop, but continues deep into inventory management and distribution.

Self-driving becomes tangible

In Shenzhen, participants were able to experience autonomous transport firsthand during a ride with Apollo Go, the robotaxi service of Baidu. Apollo Go now operates in 28 cities and has already driven more than 350 million kilometers autonomously.

At TCL CSOT, the group visited a so-called “dark factory,” where extensive automation supports the production process. The manufacturer produces displays for televisions, smartphones, and cars, among other things. The scale at which automation is used here makes it clear that artificial intelligence in China is becoming an increasingly prominent part of industrial processes.

During a session with David Li, director of the Shenzhen Open Innovation Lab, another explanation for the Chinese pace of innovation also emerged: Shenzhen connects production capacity, hardware expertise, and entrepreneurship particularly closely. As a result, companies can quickly build, test, and adapt new ideas.

Drone becomes a delivery service

On the final day, that short distance between technology and application became visible once again. Meituan demonstrated its drone delivery service, in which meals, drinks and daily groceries are transported autonomously over short distances. What was once considered a futuristic experiment is now operating commercially on dozens of routes in different cities.

The journey ended at INNO100, where young technology companies presented their products and visitors could test them immediately. That perhaps best summarizes the key observation of the week: China distinguishes itself not only by developing new technology, but above all by quickly taking it out of the laboratory.

After seven days, that speed proves to be the common thread. From retail concept and warehouse to factory, robotaxi and drone delivery: experimenting and scaling up are strikingly close together in China.