IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/regstd/v59y2025i1p2516095.html

Digital transformation of wholesale incumbents in China’s regional markets of imported fresh fruits

Author

Listed:
  • Chun Yang
  • Xinyi Liang

Abstract

This paper examines the overlooked influence of wholesale incumbents on the digital transformation of fresh fruit distribution in China’s regional markets, focusing on Shenzhen – a primary hub for imported fruits, particularly from Southeast Asia. Drawing on in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and case studies of dominant wholesalers, for example, Hongjiu Fruit Ltd and Jiangnan wholesale market, and platforms, such as Alibaba, it argues that imported fruit distribution has undergone strategic reconfiguration through incumbent wholesalers’ digitalisation per se, competitive and cooperative interactions with digital platforms, and negotiations with consumers and government agencies. By exploring the dynamic interplay between physical and digital distribution channels, this paper advances the firm-specific strategies framework in the global production networks theory by elucidating the critical role of incumbents in coordinating cross-regional markets in the digital era of platform economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Chun Yang & Xinyi Liang, 2025. "Digital transformation of wholesale incumbents in China’s regional markets of imported fresh fruits," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(1), pages 2516095-251, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:59:y:2025:i:1:p:2516095
    DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2025.2516095
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00343404.2025.2516095
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/00343404.2025.2516095?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:59:y:2025:i:1:p:2516095. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/CRES20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.