How AI, Cloud, and Big Data Power Smart Retail: Insights from Suning’s Digital Strategy

At the recent GMIC Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing, Suning.com IT Headquarters Executive Vice President Qiao Xinliang delivered a speech titled “Digital Empowerment Creates a New Smart Retail Ecosystem,” outlining the company’s vision for smart retail.

Smart Retail Layout

Suning focuses on “pan‑retail,” integrating eight business lines—e‑commerce, logistics, technology, investment, finance, real estate, sports, and cultural creativity—to meet both material and emotional consumer needs.

Definition of Smart Retail

Smart retail emphasizes user focus, technology, and personalized services, built on three digital foundations: product digitization, user digitization, and payment digitization. Without these basics, AI‑driven retail cannot succeed.

AI and Human‑Centred Retail

AI enables retailers to understand massive user bases, offering personalized experiences that add a “human touch.” Suning believes a successful retail company must have high emotional intelligence, leveraging AI‑generated insights to provide context‑rich product experiences.

Cloud, Big Data, and AI Integration

Cloud, big data, and AI form a sequential chain: digitalization creates data, big‑data analysis extracts insights, and AI predicts future trends such as sales forecasts. Suning has a mature cloud and big‑data infrastructure and is heavily investing in AI capabilities.

Cloud Computing Services

Suning has built a complete cloud ecosystem supporting real‑time transactions across eight business units, offering rapid deployment, elastic scaling, stable performance, and intelligent management. Automated 24/7 release systems improve efficiency and reduce production risks.

Big Data Collection and Analysis

The “data‑driven operation” strategy mandates that all business units base decisions on data. Suning maintains over 200 big‑data products, such as “Gold Mine,” which provides insights into nearby user demographics and preferences.

Artificial Intelligence Capabilities

Suning’s AI portfolio includes intelligent customer service (Su Xiao Yu) and smart home devices (Xiao Biu speaker). The company is developing its own machine‑learning platform with nearly 300 algorithms, enabling predictive analytics, invoice scanning, and more.

AI Technical Platform

AI applications span autonomous drones, delivery vehicles, and retail scenario automation, focusing on intelligent planning and path optimization. Suning aims to let AI and love create a more humane retail experience.