Owing to the ongoing integration of online solutions and offline retail, for most consumers, shopping is now an even easier and happier experience. Some industry insiders call it New Retail. In New Retail, a key component has been added to the shopping experience－self-service retail.

The concept is familiar to more and more subway passengers as a growing number have already bought drinks on the run from unmanned vending machines. In fact, the moment a straphanger scans a QR code on such machine, he or she has officially become a participant in New Retail.

Self-service retail has been a buzzword for quite some time, with application scenarios from supermarkets and convenience stores to office buildings and transportation hubs. And this very mode of retail has been deemed as something common in the digitalized world, and has played a vital role in China"s ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In some residential communities far from downtown Beijing, rows of vending machines stand side-by-side beneath towering buildings. Some machines are operated by Zailouxia, which translates to "downstairs". The company is a Beijing-based self-service startup. Products vary from fresh foods to snacks.

"We can make orders on Zailouxia"s mini-program through WeChat and after half-a-day or one day, we can collect the products we ordered with a verification code from the seller," a Beijing housewife surnamed Li said.