Alibaba Group’s Freshippo -- known locally as Hema -- is marketing some of the world’s most well-known seafood brands at its stores in China, with leading international firms set to benefit as the Chinese technology giant rolls out its 'new retail' concept across the country.

Since its inception in 2016, Freshippo has opened 170 of its trailblazing stores in wealthy districts of cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, providing more than ten different international seafood companies the opportunity to market fish, shrimp and molluscs to China's urban middle-class. 

Undercurrent News visited two Freshippo stores in Shanghai, where shoppers -- smartphones in hand -- wandered along aisles packed with imported meats, vegetables and beverages. At unmanned checkouts, seafood ranging from frozen toothfish, a species caught in the Southern Ocean, to imported red shrimp caught off the coast of Argentina, could be paid for with a scan of a QR code. 

Alibaba -- which was founded by Jack Ma -- says the aim is to create a "seamless retail experience", with an emphasis on convenience, while executives emphasize the "in-store experiences" and wow factor. 

“Key is product appearance. What customers look for in seafood is freshness; seafood is most fresh [of animal protein groups],” Rachel Liu, merchandising senior purchaser, explained at the recent China Fisheries and Seafood Expo in Qingdao, China. Tanks of bubbling water stocked with live fish, crab, shrimp, and lobster, invite shoppers to become fishermen and scoop up the catch of the day with a swipe of a ladle [...]