Once the darling of investors, unmanned shelf startups are going through a hard time in China
- China
- 5 min read
- Jan 16, 2019
- By Hua Nan
Startups are being forced to transform their business models to survive
More than 50 startups entered the unmanned shelf industry in China between August and November 2017. Companies in the sector – believed by many to be the future of retail – received more than RMB 3 billion in investments from venture capitalists.
However, the upward trend reversed sharply only two months later in January 2018. Shanghai-based Xingbianli, which was founded in June 2017 and had installed over 40,000 shelves stocked with various snacks and bottled beverages by late 2017, began laying off employees and cutting back on operations. Venture capitalists, previously all...
However, the upward trend reversed sharply only two months later in January 2018. Shanghai-based Xingbianli, which was founded in June 2017 and had installed over 40,000 shelves stocked with various snacks and bottled beverages by late 2017, began laying off employees and cutting back on operations. Venture capitalists, previously all...
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