SINGAPORE (Sept 15): OCBC Investment Research says CapitaLand Retail China Trust (CRCT) could get a leg up from an omni-channel strategy that could be implemented across its portfolio in the future.

“We note that CapitaLand Retail China Trust's sponsor, CapitaLand, has been actively advancing its omni-channel or offline-and-online (O&O) strategy,” says OCBC lead analyst Deborah Ong in a report on Friday.

Ong says that these O&O solutions may eventually be replicated across CRCT’s portfolio, which would place the REIT in an advantageous position.

CapitaLand in August inked a deal with e-commerce giant Alibaba to manage the 80,000 sqm Alibaba Shanghai Center in China. CapitaLand will oversee the pre-opening and management of one of the four office towers as well as the shopping podium.

The group has also launched its first smart mall, CapitaMall Xinduxin, in Qingdao.

In Singapore, CapitaLand has signed an agreement to launch an exclusive online mall on Lazada Singapore, which will see the aggregation of the offerings of retailers in its Singapore malls on Lazada’s online platform.

“As more and more shoppers make purchases both offline and online, we recognise that omni-channel retailing is the way to go for our retailers to maximise their reach and market share,” CapitaLand Mall Asia CEO Jason Leow said last month.

As part of the O&O strategy, CapitaLand will roll out two unmanned click-and-collect lounges at Plaza Singapura and Bugis+ for online shoppers to collect and return their parcels.

This story, written be Stanislaud Jude Chan, first appeared on The Edge Singapore.