In developed areas such as the United States, Europe and Japan, and in the fastest developing countries such as China and Thailand, the rapid growth of electronic commerce has represented a huge challenge to traditional retail businesses, offering unprecedented freedom of choice, advantageous prices and practical delivery. In 2012, at the “Chinese Economic Person of the Year” competition organised by the Chinese national television channel CCTV, Jack Ma, the founder of China’s largest e-commerce platform, Alibaba Group, stated: “By 2022, e-commerce will represent 50% of the market share of retail trade in China.” . If this is true, how will the traditional retail market evolve as e-commerce rapidly gains market shares?
