The mythical seventh wave was rolling through China in the form of Hema. Never heard of them? Alibaba and Hema are one in the same. So while Amazon was buying Whole Foods and Shake Shack has decided to go without cashiers, Hema has been testing the only slightly more distant future.
According to the CNN Tech article by Sherisse Pham @Sherisse 'Hema shoppers have to download the store's app and link it to an account on Alibaba-affiliated digital payment platform Alipay. They can shop online and get fresh groceries delivered, or they can have the produce cooked by Hema chefs and brought to their home ready to eat.
Alternatively, shoppers can go to the physical store and buy goods in person at the cashless checkout counters. They can also get their groceries cooked into a meal on the spot (for carryout or eating in the store's food court).'
It will take a few minutes for the wave to get here and in the meantime, I guess the question then becomes whether retailers can learn to surf.
http://money.cnn.com/2017/10/06/technology/alibaba-jd-amazon-online-groceries/index.html