Selling
A global retailer
Carrefour is the second largest retail company in the world and was the first to open a hypermarket in China. It enterad the Chinese market in 1995. It now has annual sales in the country of more than €2 billion and is open an increasing number of stores to improve its market share (currently 5%).
Carrefour has attracted customers by adapting to and copying local customs. For example, Chinese consumers traditionally bought live fish at markets, so Carrefour introduced live fish at stores near the sea. However, in stores hundreds of miles from the sea, live fish would not be practical. Frozen fish was introduced instead and this boosted sales of fish by 30-40%.
Carrefour has tried to stay ahead of the customer by not introducing products and ideas that are so new and radical that they don’t sell, but not being too late either. One way Carrefour has done this is by introducing Chinese consumers to the idea of drinking wine with a meal by selling a few wines which go well with fish and seafood. It has also expanded its range of services, introducing loyalty cards as a way to offer discounts, and providing consumer credit. In 2006 it launched an advertising campaign for online shopping. All of these have helped promote the Carrefour name, both in China and around the world.