Web retailers expect to cash in agricultural products

Online retail is big business, but not, it seems, if you’re selling fresh food. China already has over three-thousand websites selling fresh produce and meat, but so far, none have been able to turn a profit.

A simple click, and Xiang Nian can buy her fresh groceries at home.

An SMS message... tells her that the order has been left in her personal locker. One swipe slide of her membership card. And the food is in her hand.

The items are prepared here at the "Just-easy" Livestock and Fresh Produce Online Supermarket.

The company has been trying to develop the business for the past 3 years. It’s now very popular in Wuhan.

But fresh produce e-commerce is not an easy business. Just-easy is growing... but the company still hasn’t made a profit.

Delivery is an essential part of the business, and the trucks are lockers are kept below 8 degrees.

Every item is traceable, and the packaging barcodes can be scanned by smart phones to help consumers verify their origin.

Driven by rapidly growing demand, many Chinese e-commerce giants, like Alibaba, 1 Mall and Jingdong Mall are making moves into the sector.

Some retail stores like Wal-Mart and Carrefour are also moving in.

A fresh food battle is underway, but all are waiting for the returns to roll in.

Many big B2C e-commerce players usually take fresh farm produce as the last category to add to their offerings. But now more and more large businesses have set their eyes on the industry. They want to prove the fresh food market is definitely suited to online sales.