O2O fruit shop a hit with students

Xiao Chen is typing in the order numbers. Photo provided to China Daily

On xuxian.com, various fresh fruits are pictured in alluring photographs. And their competitive prices simply make them all the more inviting.

Zhao Leyi, a student from Minzu University of China said that he has been buying fruit here since he heard about the website from one of his friends three months ago. He said he keeps coming because the fruits he picks up here are mostly fresh and tasty, and they seldom disappoint him.

He speaks to China Daily as he types his order numbers into theiPad mini that is linked to the screen on the wall. At the same time, Xiao Chen is packing the fruit according to his order displayed on the screen.

The shop, which is at the intersection of Minzu University of China and Beijing Foreign Studies University, is also a stone's throw from Beijing Institute of Technology. According to Xiao Chen, t serves about 200 customers every day. And when there's a sale, the number doubles.

On Tomb Sweeping Day, for example, the shop forwarded a "two for one" sale on xuxian.com, which attracted many new customers to have a try.

"We are not fruit lovers and we seldom buy fruit, but the fruit offered during festivals is really a bargain so we bought some," said Wang Yue, a student from Beijing Institute of Technology.

Wang Yue and his roommates bought a kilo of mandarin oranges for 3.5 yuan ($0.56), a kilo of bananas for 4.5 yuan ($0.72), both of which were 50% off compared with those in the traditional fruit stores.