New retail refers to enterprises taking advantage of the development of the Internet and using technical means such as big data and artificial intelligence to upgrade and transform the production, circulation and sales process of goods, forming a new retail model that provides services online and experiences offline. This concept was proposed by Jack Ma in October 2016.

Financial Living Room learned that on April 2, 2018, as a leading Chinese Internet company, Alibaba announced that it would join hands with Ant Financial to acquire Ele.me for $9.5 billion, which further expanded its new retail sector.

At present, Alibaba's new retail structure has several channels. The first is online retail led by Tmall, the second is offline department stores led by Intime, the third is the electrical appliance retail format dominated by Suning, the fourth is the food and fast-moving consumer goods field led by Hema and RT-Mart, the fifth is Rural Taobao, the sixth is Alibaba Retail, the seventh is the home improvement field where it has just invested, and the eighth is the offline catering field dominated by Word of Mouth and Ele.me.