“If you bring the business format you used in Japan to China, it won’t work. You have to develop a business format for Chinese lifestyles and tastes,” says Harada, a head of the overseas division at Family Mart’s headquarters in Tokyo, before moving to Shanghai two years ago. This mindset drove brands to make modifications from store layout to selling practices, executing with local flavors, shopping behaviors, and partnerships, while still carrying Japanese DNA that emphasizes convenience, efficiency, and quality. Localization was not a one-time tweak that happened overnight, but a continuous process that draws deeply into the roots of Chinese consumers’ minds.

Rise of Chinese Convenience Store Brands: Shizu, M.Y.J. (Meiyijia), Bianlifeng

In parallel with the expansion of Japanese konbini, China has developed its own convenience store brands in the last two decades. These homegrown companies differ not only from Japanese konbini but also from each other, carrying out unique operation models and marketing methods.

Shizu: Founded in Zhejiang in 2001, Shizu is a regional convenience store powerhouse that mainly operates in eastern China, with its name meaning “ten out of ten” or “fully stocked.” One trait distinguishing it from traditional Japanese konbini is its hours of operation. Rather than operating 24 hours, its running time of 18 hours–from 6:00 a.m. to midnight–fulfills the demand for consumers’ commuter hours while saving on labor and utility costs, suiting many Chinese cities where overnight business is sparse. The growth strategy of 7-Eleven in Japan–open stores together in a certain region to improve visibility and reduce the cost of distribution–won’t largely work in China, where housing prices are soaring, as companies can’t afford high cost of renting, and the 24 hours of operation time would reduce staff enthusiasm, resulting in high cost of night operation. (In fact, even in Japan, the 24-hour model of the konbini is undergoing rethinking due to higher cost of labor.) Shizu has demonstrated that a flexible hours model can be successful if it aligns with local lifestyles in China. While serving nationwide, Shizu is known to heavily feature local and regional snacks, like Hangzhou specialties. Along these lines, in marketing its brand image, Shizu tends to portray and establish itself as a community store–many are franchised and run by local owners–fostering a sense of neighborhood. For instance, its franchised promotion invites people to “join the Shizu family,” and Shizu has been recognized in Zhejiang as a community convenience store, reinforcing the perception as a community neighbor rather than an outlet of a distant corporation. Although its stores do not have the polish of Japanese konbini like FamilyMart or 7-Eleven, they provide quick convenience at slightly lower prices, reflecting the public perception that Chinese convenience stores tend to compete on convenience and price, leaving the high-end market to Japanese brands. 

M.Y.J. (Meiyijia): As the largest convenience store chain brand in China, Meiyijia’s strategy is characterized by rapid expansion through franchising in China’s southern and central regions. It is heavily clustered in Guangdong and its adjacent provinces, covering 20 provinces and 220+ cities. The key to its success is its affordability and ubiquity. Though being basic and smaller than Japanese konbini like 7-Eleven, Meiyijia stocks essentials that meet local needs and daily necessities. Meiyijia also built its own POS system in the early 2000s. Combined with its developed self-checkout terminal services, Meiyijia embraces computerization to improve supply efficiency while also effectively reducing consumers’ waiting time, highlighting the deep understanding of “speed first” for convenience stores. However, in the category of fresh food and novelty goods, Meiyijia is not as strong as Japanese konbini brands. It seems aware of this shortcoming and has begun to introduce more ready-to-eat and instant food. For its marketing strategy, Meiyijia tends to use membership deals and store promotions rather than advertising nationwide. Similar to Shizu, Meiyijia’s community-based operation model also wins countless consumers’ trust and support, one that I would articulate as “Chinese convenience store “Chinese convenience store by Chinese for Chinese,” underscoring how well the strategy resonates. 

Bianlifeng: Bianlifeng (Convenience Bee) stands out as a representation of China’s new generation of convenience stores, which integrate technology and innovative entrepreneurship into their retail operation model, revolutionizing convenience stores through automation and consumer data. Its core concept is to develop a 24-hour store without a cashier, where customers can scan products and pay via apps with little or minimal human help. In reality, Bianlifeng still has one to two staff coordinating and organizing, but much of its operation is guided by algorithms. Bianlifeng also uses data analysis to match product combinations for each store according to local consumers’ shopping behavior and preferences, which is similar to Lawson’s approach: algorithms will optimize for the top food choices at each store. This highly localized and data-driven marketing strategy is critical under the diverse food landscape in China–best-selling goods in Beijing may not sell as well in Nanjing. However, problems and the feeling of alienation rise up under the highly technical automation model: staff feel like they are “people managed by machines” or “being forced to obey algorithmic decisions.” Chinese consumers also do not universally fully embrace this unmanned concept and still prefer human service at stores. As Mark Gong pointed out, removing human services entirely would not necessarily increase efficiency due to robots’ limits in handling complicated tasks and their high costs of installation and replacement. Bianlifeng is now adjusting to ensure its staff are treated better and to change its robot-driven public image.

Besides Shizu, M.Y.J. (Meiyijia), and Bianlifeng, China also has many other convenience store chains, but most of them are located in gas stations. Regional convenience store chains like Red Flag Chain in Sichuan, Tianfu in Guangdong, Today in Hubei, etc., all achieve a notable position in the convenience store market through understanding of local consumer shopping habits and setting-based needs. In many cities, competition among convenience stores often arises up between Japanese brands and local brands. Chinese consumers nowadays face diverse choices, and all brands try to differentiate: some emphasize 24-hour service, others promote local food, others focus on technological shopping experience and store environment. Notably, while domestic convenience stores do have advantages in scale and reach, Japanese konbini still take the leading position in operation, especially for fresh food offerings, but this gap is diminishing as companies learn fast. 

Charts Comparing Japanese Brands with Chinese Brands among Food Offering, Store Layout, and Marketing Strategy

Figure 7. Comparison: Food Offerings Across Japanese and Chinese Convenience Stores

Figure 8. Comparison: Store Layout Across Japanese and Chinese Convenience Stores

Figure 9. Comparison: Marketing Strategies Across Japanese and Chinese Convenience Stores)

Consumer Attitudes and the Impact of Localization

Convenience stores have been embraced by Chinese consumers and seen as an important part of their lives. However, their attitudes towards different brands–Japanese and domestic–are nuanced, with localization playing a significant role in the convenience store market.

Preference for Localized Products: Chinese consumers tend to appreciate convenience stores that meet local flavors and lifestyles. This idea of “food nationalism” exists in many subtle ways—consumers feel more at home when localized snacks or specialties are sold at convenience stores. For instance, the offering of mapo tofu in Chengdu Lawson wins more favor of consumers by showing its understanding of local culture and cuisine. Hence, it is hard for a convenience store to keep its position if it only sells Japanese and foreign products that Chinese customers are unfamiliar with. One reason for the success of Japanese konbini in China, like 7-Eleven, is the understanding of localization: Chinese rich food culture means people expect to get what they normally eat in convenience stores, such as tea eggs and hot noodles. The demand for localized products is increasing, so stores are actively responding, resulting in a hybrid product mix. It is common for people to see a zongzi next to a rice ball in Chinese FamilyMart or an herbal tea alongside Coca-Cola in Lawson. All these kinds of combinations and localization reflect a trend and Chinese consumer taste—a fusion of local and global. 

Perceptions of Quality—Japanese vs. Domestic Brands: There is a long-held perception that Chinese consumers are more inclined towards Japanese konbini in terms of product quality and service. Some customers, especially the youth and foreign tourists, prefer 7-Eleven, Lawson, or FamilyMart, even though a domestic convenience store is nearby. However, this gap is narrowing, with Chinese convenience stores like Meiyijia improving their image as a cleaner, fresher, and better-trained store, successfully breaking the stereotype of being inferior. It is also common to see that some people highly praise their experience at Japanese konbini, pointing out that rice balls in Chinese convenience stores feel more like rice with a little filling. However, as a marketing report points out, “64% of Chinese customers are drawn more by the budget-priced, basic products available at convenience stores,” showing that average customers primarily care more about price and convenience. Therefore, people are willing to shop at Chinese convenience stores if they offer slightly lower prices, which is one of the strategies that Meiyijia takes. Moreover, national sentiment and nationalism can also play a role during political tensions or flare‑ups of patriotic feelings—some customers may avoid buying products from Japanese brands. Nevertheless, convenience stores inspire little brand loyalty and their casualization make them a low-commitment choice; most people are pragmatic—they prefer stores nearby or those stores that have what they need or the high-quality products they are seeking.

Consumer Loyalty and Sentiment: Although convenience stores do not have an intense fan loyalty culture like tech or luxury brands, there are preferences among consumers. Some say that “FamilyMart’s fried chicken is the best” or “only trust 7-Eleven’s sandwiches,” while others are more inclined to local Chinese convenience stores as “the auntie there knows me, and it’s cheaper.” According to the 2023 McKinsey China Consumer Report, Chinese consumers have shown a swing to domestic brands in recent years, with a percentage of 49% believing that domestic brands have better quality, partly due to national pride and an improvement of their products. There are nuanced sentiments and various attitudes towards Japanese brands and domestic brands, and this varies depending on region and demography.

Overall, Chinese consumers generally hold a positive attitude towards convenience stores (whether Japanese or Chinese), seeing them as solutions for quick needs under this modern lifestyle. It’s undeniable that localization plays a decisive role in winning people’s hearts: when convenience stores match with the understanding of local cuisine and daily routines, consumers will endorse it through repeated business. Although Japanese brands often carry an aura of being high-quality, domestic brands also gain trust and support through their massive presence and continued improvement. Nowadays, the convergence of expectations towards convenience stores—tidiness, efficiency, localization, etc.—means that all store operations in China are racing towards the same goal from different starting points, and the one getting the best understanding of Chinese consumers and market will stand out.

Conclusion

The convenience store industry in China is vibrant and developing. Localization, though is not the only factor that leads to prosperity, has been proven to be a decisive key to success in convenience store culture. Japanese konbini culture is reinterpreted in China not as an alien import, but as an inspiration that combines with Chinese retail entrepreneurship, fertilizing a new model of the convenience store. Chinese companies build on the culture and model of konbini, making innovations and achieving a technological leap. Meanwhile, Japanese companies continue to improve localization and marketing strategies by learning from Chinese competitors and consumers. Looking forward to the future, I expect further fusion and blend of the both: the innovation of products and tested operation model of Japanese konbini combined with the Chinese retailers’ scale advantage, digital creation, and insight into local lifestyles, creating ubiquitous convenience stores that meticulously meet community needs and achieve minute-level delivery, fulfilling the promise of convenience in a uniquely Chinese way. Every single rice ball that FamilyMart sells or every sale of Lawson’s herbal tea is a little testament: the konbini culture that once belonged to Japan has now become part of Chinese people’s life–reinterpreted and thriving.