CU Review: Insights Into South Korean Retailer’s Innovative ‘Online-First’ Approach in China

South Korean retailer CU has started testing the Chinese market through an online trial, deviating from the typical strategy of focusing on physical stores. Part of BGF Retail with thousands of outlets in South Korea, CU is proceeding cautiously in partnership with Ningshing Ubay by offering a limited selection of 11 products on Tmall, an Alibaba Group platform. Adopting an “online-first, private-label-driven” model, CU aims to stand out in China’s competitive e-commerce landscape without directly challenging competitors, while still tapping into the vast consumer base of the world’s second-largest market. Marketing professor Chen Bo emphasized the strategic significance: ‘If consumer…