The 2026 Zhongguancun Forum showcased innovations ranging from flexible electronic skin giving machines a sense of touch to robotic cafes transitioning from science fiction to reality. A deeper question emerges: how can such core technologies genuinely transform everyday consumer experiences for ordinary people?
The answer may lie within a key statement from China's 15th Five-Year Plan—enhancing the efficient supply of computing power, algorithms, and data. This seemingly technical directive is translating into tangible forces driving profound changes in consumption patterns through specific scenarios like supermarket shelves, marathon routes, and shopping district coupons.
Today's consumption growth relies less on sheer traffic volume and more on the ability to convert that traffic into incremental growth, which can then be solidified into a loyal customer base. Artificial intelligence is no longer just theoretical formulas in research papers; it manifests as dynamically changing electronic price tags in supermarkets, precisely targeted discounts, and analyzable pathways for cultivating consumer habits. This represents the true face of new supply in the consumer sector.
The 15th Five-Year Plan elevates the advancement of the Digital China initiative and the enhancement of digital-intelligent development levels into a dedicated section. The shift from 'digitalization' to 'digital intelligence' sends a clear signal. Digital intelligence builds upon the data foundation of digital transformation by introducing AI-driven model algorithms to perform deep data mining, statistical analysis, and predictive modeling, thereby driving intelligent decision-making, business model innovation, and value creation. Computing power, algorithms, and data are no longer isolated technical variables but are new types of infrastructure that require coordinated supply. Only by promoting the synergistic integration of these three elements can innovation in consumer supply methods be better supported, injecting strong momentum into the high-quality development of the real economy. The application of this logic in consumer scenarios is already visibly evident.
The integration of data and AI technologies is comprehensively permeating from emerging industries into traditional sectors. The AI-driven transformation of Wumart Supermarket is a prime example. By the end of 2025, 85 stores nationwide had completed AI-driven new retail upgrades. Duodian AI technology is deeply integrated into store processes like product selection and inventory replenishment, with electronic price tags enabling real-time price adjustments based on smart algorithms. AI-powered replenishment accuracy exceeds 95%, while fresh product spoilage rates have dropped by over 30%. The Wumart store on Xueqing Road in Beijing, the company's first flagship store for AI new retail, saw its average daily offline sales increase by more than 2.5 times and transaction frequency rise by nearly 1.5 times by March 2026 compared to pre-renovation figures.
Behind these numbers is a shift in operational logic: reliance is moving from human experience to data analysis and algorithmic support. This is not about AI wholly replacing humans, but rather about translating human expertise into algorithmic rules that can then be scaled to benefit more stores. When a traditional supermarket uses algorithms to reorganize its entire process—from product selection and restocking to pricing and clearance—it brings not only operational changes but also enhanced customer experience and the data accumulation needed for continuous algorithm optimization. Casual shoppers become willing to stay longer and spend more. This vividly demonstrates efficient data supply on the consumer end: faster and more accurate supply responses make it easier to convert traffic into growth.
Another example of traffic conversion is the Enjoy PASS card, launched jointly by the Haidian District Commerce Bureau and Alipay during the Zhongguancun Forum. Building on forum credentials, the PASS card functioned as a consumption pass offering discounts in key commercial areas like Wukesong, Zhongguancun, and Shijinyuan, utilizing Alipay's tap technology for AI digital guide services. Users could locate the nearest PASS-affiliated merchants for intelligent consumption guidance. The Haidian Commerce Bureau positioned the PASS card as a means to transform forum attendance into regional consumption growth. Currently enabling location and scenario-based matching, the system could potentially achieve personalized, precise push notifications based on user behavioral data with sufficient accumulation.
This points to a future direction for deepened consumption linkage: not simply expanding reach, but achieving more precise connections through algorithmic filtering. When data identifies who needs what and when, consumer acceptance of related benefits increases, enhancing the efficiency of consumption stimulation. Forum attendees represent traffic; those attracted to make purchases represent incremental growth. When offered benefits consistently align with consumer needs, customers are more likely to become repeat patrons, completing the transition from traffic to growth to loyalty.
Furthermore, Haidian's sports consumption practices offer another perspective on progressing from growth to loyalty. The exclusive consumption pass introduced during the Haidian Marathon covered 243 merchants, scenic spots, and hotels across the district. The引流 effect of the sporting event was starkly evident in commercial zone data: the 10km elite race route connected the Zhongguancun business district, driving a 57.2% year-on-year increase in foot traffic. Zhongguancun ART PARK Mall attracted 265,600 visitors over three days. Shijinyuan Shopping Mall, serving as the primary venue for participant kit collection and festivities, saw a 29% year-on-year sales increase and 225,000 visitors during the holiday period.
Analysis by the Beijing Consumption Big Data Monitoring Sub-Laboratory at Renmin University of China indicated that the cross-period driving effect of sports-related consumption is significantly stronger than other areas within the integrated cultural, commercial, tourism, sports, and exhibition ecosystem. Unlike tourism consumption, which tends to have more immediate, concurrent effects, sports consumption is more habit-driven, capable of sustaining subsequent spending.
This suggests that by effectively leveraging sports consumption, more precise secondary engagement is possible, transforming one-time event traffic into sustainable sports consumption habits, thereby solidifying loyalty. Consequently, the unique value of sports consumption lies not only in concentrated引流 during events but also in its ability to extend the consumption chain and amplify follow-on effects through habit formation.
The evolution of supply in the digital intelligence era, as seen in these three examples, shows supply becoming more dynamic, immediate, and precise, driven by demand. Data, algorithms, and computing power enable supply to respond to demand faster and more accurately. As this responsiveness improves, traffic converts more smoothly into growth, which then naturally solidifies into loyalty. This process, in turn, generates more data, feeding back into algorithmic iteration and upgrades. This is the vivid realization of efficient computing power, algorithm, and data supply moving from policy text to consumer reality.
New consumer supply should be supply that responds better to demand, thus requiring foundational data support, platform technology for execution, and model algorithms as the link. Using demand to guide supply, and using new supply to stimulate demand—this is the essence of digital intelligence in the consumer sphere.
When supermarkets no longer rely solely on manager experience for ordering but use AI for automatic replenishment based on sales data; when commercial districts abandon scattergun coupon distribution for algorithmically precise推送 of relevant benefits; when sporting events transcend being one-off activities to foster sustainable consumption habits through data tracking—this evolutionary path from traffic to growth to loyalty is redefining the future of consumption.