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by Vivian Yang

JD Industrial Supply launched the flagship store of the world-leading water pump Grundfos, a popular Danish brand, on January 30.

The first-party JD store offers 23 Grundfos products that can be applied to eight scenarios ranging from commercial building construction, industrial processes, urban water supply, industrial water treatment and more.

Wei Wang, general manager of the procurement department of JD Industrial Supply, said that the cooperation with Grundfos is an important step for the platform to provide more comprehensive industrial products and professional services for enterprise clients of all industries.

JD and Grundfos will work closely throughout the procurement process to provide efficient services from pre-sales technical consultations and after-sales installation to intelligent product type matching and other value-added services.

According to a spokesperson of Grundfos, it is critical to provide customized services in the pump purchase process, given the various operating circumstances in which the pump systems would be installed, especially under high or low temperatures, air pressure, and other extreme conditions. Grundfos will have its technical engineers collaborate directly with experts from JD Industrial Supplies to ensure smooth procurement and fulfillment, such as conducting on-site inspections, and providing design solutions, installation guidance, and other support.

Meanwhile, Grundfos’ product information will be connected with JD’s product standardization database. Known as “Mercator”, the database aims to create a set of unified parameter definitions for highly complex industrial supplies and a digitally intelligent solution, so that enterprise procurers only need to key in certain factors. For example, in Grundfos’ case, those factors might include liquid temperature, flow speed, delivery head, interface forms, etc. The database can quickly respond with precise product recommendations, greatly saving procurers’ time and energy in product selection.

 

(vivian.yang@jd.com)

Harvest & JD Storage Logistics REIT (Fund Code: 508098), a real estate investment trust (REIT) operated and managed by JD Property, a subsidiary under JD.com, officially listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Feb. 8. The REIT raised RMB 1.757 billion yuan with off-line allotment reaching 126.04 in over-subscription multiples. It is China’s first public warehousing and logistics REIT issued by a private company.

The assets of the REIT include three logistics parks located in Langfang, Wuhan, and Chongqing, covering a total floor area of 350,995 square meters. All three are scarce high-standard warehouses that represent the highest level of warehouses in China in terms of scale and automation, offering reliable profitability and a strong capability to fend off risks. The occupancy rates of these three parks are all 100 percent, with average leasing terms reaching five years, higher than the industry average of three years.

JD Property provides integrated services for industrial infrastructure development and asset management, and owns all of JD.com’s self-built logistics facilities. As of now, JD Property’s modern warehousing network has been deployed in 29 provincial-level administrative regions across China, with a total area of over 20 million square meters under management. The company also runs 24 projects in Southeast Asia and other regions overseas.

Wei Hu, Senior Vice President of JD.com and CEO of JD Property; Zhonglei Wang, a JD Property employee of the Langfang logistics park project; Chun Yang, a JD Property employee of the Chongqing logistics park project; Xuejun Zhao, Chairman of Harvest Fund; Lingfei Lu, CMO of Harvest Fund, and Yijun Wang, Head of Infrastructure Investment Management Department of Harvest Fund, rang the listing gong together at the ceremony.

Sandy Xu, CFO of JD.com said: “JD.com’s development is rooted in the real economy, as it grows in and serves the real economy. The value of the company’s supply chain infrastructure is recognized by various sectors of society including investors.” She added, “As the first private warehousing and logistics REIT, Harvest JD Warehousing Infrastructure REIT will greatly stimulate and enhance the vitality and confidence of the private sector to invest in supply chain infrastructure, and help to promote the digitalization, networking and intelligentization of the warehousing and logistics industry. JD.com will also unswervingly promote the construction of supply chain infrastructure.”

 

(press@jd.com)

by Tong Shen

JD Logistics has helped Anakku, a Malaysian baby and maternal brand, improve fulfillment efficiency by 30 percent with all orders fulfilled in 24 hours. The partnership started in August 2022, and JD Logistics has since provided warehousing and fulfillment services to over 1,000 Anakku stores throughout Malaysia.

JD Logistics currently runs self-operated and collaborative warehouses in Malaysia, offering services including B2B and B2C logistics, omni-channel fulfillment, goods return logistics, transportation and more.

Before cooperating with JD Logistics, Anakku faced challenges such as low warehousing accuracy, delivery inefficiency and unstable delivery time, etc. JD Logistics helped the brand develop a customized end-to-end supply chain solution that is based on in-depth research of Anakku’s overall goods volume, vehicles, personnel and other details. JD Logistics also helps manage 10+ transportation companies to monitor their delivery time, optimize the working efficiency and cut Anakku management costs. As a result, Anakku’s omni-channel orders in and around Kuala Lumpur can be delivered the next day, and the time used is less than 50 percent of the local average.

Ng Meng Guan, Chief Commercial Officer of Anakku, said, “We look forward to cooperating with JD Logistics deeper in supply chain collaborations beyond logistics services, and also developing in the Chinese market by leveraging their domestic supply chain capabilities. ”

Currently, JD Logistics’ international business operates approximately 90 bonded warehouses, international direct mail warehouses and overseas warehouses, covering an aggregate GFA of approximately 900,000 square meters with an over 70 percent increase year-over-year.

 

(press@jd.com)

by Marry Ma

JD.com’s on-demand retail service “Shop Now” released the 2023 Report of On-demand Consumption in Spring Festival on January 28. During the Chinese Spring Festival from January 21 to 27, sales increased by 90% compared to the same period of last year’s Spring Festival. The search volume for Spring Festival decorations such as couplets, lucky characters, and red paper cuttings has increased more than 3.5 times that of the same festive period last year.

Data from JD Shop Now shows that gift boxes, fruits, alcoholic beverages, and mobile phones are the most popular goods during the Spring Festival. On New Year’s Eve, the consumers’ order amount increased by 171 percent year-on-year.

Gift box sales remain popular throughout the entire Spring Festival period, with overall year-over-year growth of over 50 percent. Among them, sales of baijiu gift boxes and fruits and nuts gift boxes have grown more than 10 times, while sales of fruits gift boxes, baked goods gift boxes, and dried seafood gift boxes have grown more than three times.

As many areas have started to experience snow and low temperatures, warm clothing items have also been popular, with sales of wool caps, gloves, electric blankets, and heaters increasing more than 2.5 times year-over-year.

Data from JD Shop Now shows that during the Chinese New Year period, sales of mobile phones increased by more than 70 percent compared to the previous year, cosmetics and perfume sales increased by more than 120 percent, and sales of home appliances increased by 226 percent.

Sales of smart health monitoring products on JD Shop Now increased by more than 10 times, and sales of massagers, electric health pots, and air purifiers increased by more than 2 times. The data shows that the sales of kitchen appliances such as floor-cleaning robots, cooking machines, and air fryers increased by more than 8 times compared to the previous year.

In order to bring pets home for the New Year, pet owners ordered travel equipment for cats and dogs on JD Shop Now, with sales increasing by 176 percent year-over-year, and sales of cat and dog toys, pet beauty tools, and pet medical supplies all increased by more than 110 percent year-over-year.

 

(mayiqian3@jd.com)

by Yuchuan Wang

From February 1, Ochama customers will be able to pick up their orders at an additional 50 Blokker stores in the Netherlands. The expanded partnership reflects the successful pilot project launched in May 2022 between Ochama and the leading Dutch non-food retailer to open third-party Ochama pick-up points in offline Blokker stores.

All the new pick-up points are located in city centers and on shopping streets, with easy access to shoppers. Supplies are made directly from Ochama’s distribution center.

“And it won’t stop there,” said Jeanine Holscher, CEO of Blokker. “We expect to set up Ochama pick-up points in many more stores in the coming months.” According to Jeanine, this cooperation fits well with the changing role of Blokker in the shopping scene.

“Costs are getting higher and we see people’s shopping behavior changing,” she added. “We are responding to this by giving a new role to our stores. For example, we are shipping more and more online orders through the store. And by setting up Ochama pick-up points in Blokker’s stores, we are adding even more relevance to our stores and additional traffic directed from Ochama’s webshop and app.”

Jeanine believes that in doing so, Blokker’s assortment is seamlessly connected with Ochama’s assortment, creating an optimal and omni-channel shopping experience to provide satisfying shopping experiences for customers.

“We are honored to expand the cooperation with Blokker in bringing more Ochama pick-up points to its stores to enrich the shopping scenarios for customers in the Netherlands,” said Pass Lei, a senior executive at Ochama. “Through the cooperation, customers will be able to get the things they need when they need them the most with a hassle-free shopping experience.”

Blokker has a network of more than 400 stores in the Netherlands including more than 50 franchised stores, and a webshop with an assortment of more than 500,000 items.

As an innovative retail brand launched by retail giant JD.com in 2022 in Europe, Ochama offers a one-stop omni-channel shopping experience for both food and non-food products such as home appliances, home living, electronics, fashion and more.

 

(yuchuan.wang@jd.com)

by Vivian Yang

Leading supply chain-based technology and service provider JD.com is included in the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which was announced on January 31. It is the first time the company has been listed in the index.

Pang Zhang, Chief Human Resources Officer of JD.com, said, “We are pleased to be included in the 2023 GEI, which is a welcomed recognition of JD.com’s progress in building diversity and inclusion. We deeply believe that employees’ development should not be limited by gender and that their growth should take precedence over business success.”

“By offering an equal, diverse, inclusive environment with long-term development opportunities that help employees gain a sense of belonging and happiness, a company is bound to generate greater value for the whole society,” she added.

The GEI brings transparency to gender-related practices and policies at listed companies, increasing the breadth of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data available to investors. The reference index evaluates companies across five pillars: leadership & talent pipeline, equal pay & gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and external brand. JD.com scored high in particular on the second and fourth pillars in this year’s evaluation.

JD.com’s 2021 ESG Report stated that the company adheres to the principles of openness, fairness, impartiality and equal recruitment; actively provides employment opportunities for disabled groups; guarantees the rights of female employees; ensures that male and female employee enjoy equal pay for equal work, and more. One such example is JD Retail’s special program known as the “Sunshine Angels,” which aims to provide physically challenged people with online customer service job opportunities. The program currently employs women in 70 percent of core roles, and was recognized by APEC Women Leadership Forum as one of the best innovation practices in women’s empowerment in 2023.

A member of JD “Sunshine Angles” team takes a customer’s call

JD.com highly values female talent and commits to their safety, health and growth. According to JD’s ESG Report in 2021, more than 10,000 female employees received various kinds of trainings on self-development, management skills, technological briefings and more. Meanwhile, the company also provides lactation rooms, parking space and other care facilities for pregnant women, as well as nursery and kindergarten services for employees at its headquarters  which have benefited thousands of employees.

A playground for employees’ children inside JD.com’s headquarters in Beijing

Last November, JD.com announced that it would add RMB 10 billion yuan to its employee housing fund, and also expand its relief fund for employees’ children. JD.com has promised its employees that if, for whatever reason, they encounter misfortune that leads to incapacity or loss of life, the company’s fund will support their children’s living and education up to 22 years old, the age they would graduate from college.

The 2023 GEI reaches globally to represent 45 countries and regions and included 484 companies that scored at or above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect disclosure and the achievement or adoption of best-in-class statistics and policies.

 

(vivian.yang@jd.com)

by Vivian Yang

Among the most prominent consumption trends during this Chinese new year holiday period (from January 21-27) were the continued booming of “3R” food, diversified and routine e-shopping categories, and the vast potential in the lower-tier markets, according to a report prepared by JD.com’s Consumption and Industry Development Research Institute.

“3R” food (short for “ready-to-cook”, “ready-to-heat” and “ready-to-eat” food) saw six-fold growth in transaction volume year over year during this period.

Food is an essential element of Chinese Spring Festival celebrations. With the 3R industry thriving in China in recent years, more and more Chinese families are choosing to order 3R dishes to enrich their reunion meals, especially meaningful holiday dishes such as chicken soup with fish maw; those with complex preparations such as Sichuan-style fish filets with pickled vegetables; and those that require special cooking skills, such as the delicacy known as “Buddha jumps over the wall,” which requires hours to simmer a variety of seafood, meat, and other nutritious ingredients.

The report also noted that with the normalization of non-stop delivery service during the festival, Chinese consumers are accustomed to ordering all kinds of “routine” products during the festival period. The transaction volume of mobile phones, home appliances, and health products on JD.com all witnessed substantial increases. (This year marks the 11^th year in a row that JD Logistics has offered non-stop delivery service during Chinese New Year.)

Meanwhile, after-sales services have been in hot demand during the holiday, such as mobile phone warranty service (up by 296 percent YoY), home appliance repairs (83 percent) and home cleaning (302 percent).

Consumers’ shopping preferences vary in different tiers of cities. The report found that during the spring festival period, consumers living in higher-tier markets shopped for a lot of fresh food, flowers and pet supplies on JD.com, while those from lower-tier markets bought more mobile phones, home appliances, furnishing and decoration products. This is reflective of the trickle-down effect by which young people returning to their homes from big cities during the holiday are spreading their online shopping habits to their relatives and friends in villages and towns, and enabling more people to enjoy the convenience and quality goods that e-commerce offers, according to the report.

 

(vivian.yang@jd.com)

by Vivian Yang

 

During JD.com’s Chinese New Year (CNY) Grand Promotion in the past two weeks, ambassadors and diplomats to China from 15 countries including Malaysia, Pakistan, South Africa, Uruguay and others sent their best wishes through videos and livestreaming to consumers at JD.com, while they enthusiastically recommended their countries’ specialties as Chinese people engage in the Spring Festival shopping.

It is a tradition for Chinese people to make special purchases – food in particular, ahead of the Spring Festival(CNY’s Day) with the highlight of a multi-course family dinner on the eve of the new year, which will fall on January 22 this year， ushering in the Chinese lunar new year of the rabbit.

A Chinese meal with imported food and wine

Ambassadors from Thailand, Moldova and Denmark visited SEVEN FRESH, the omni-channel grocery store under JD.com to personally experience the festival preparation atmosphere with local Beijing residents, and enjoyed a special Chinese-style banquet, on January 10, 2023.

Designed by William Wu, the star chef of SEVEN FRESH, the menu manifested the fusion of Chinese tastes with a variety of imported ingredients from countries the ambassadors represent, including black tiger prawns and rice from Thailand, pork from Denmark and wines from Moldova.

Moldovan ambassador to China H.E. Dumitru Braghis was delighted to invite all guests to appreciate the color and flavor of the wines and explained Moldova’s well-established wine industry and long history that offers classic quality wines for Chinese consumers’ choices.

“It’s simply astonishing what you can buy online here in China,” marveled H.E. Dorthe Lange, ambassador-rank Deputy Head of Mission of Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark at the variety of products from all over the world that are available for Chinese customers. Besides the famous Danish butter cookies, Ms. Lange also recommended Danish seafood, pork products and beers as good choices for new year grocery shopping.

Thai ambassador H.E. Atthayut Srisamoot and his wife Mrs.Kamoltip Srisamoot showed more familiarity with Chinese cuisine and the trend of ready-to-eat food. They recommended all kinds of Thai curries, Tom Yum Kung and other prepared cooking products with which customers can easily make delicious Thai dishes at home.

National pavilions and imported live lobsters 

With the development of international cold-chain logistics, JD.com has been enhancing efforts in importing more fresh products globally to meet the increasing demand from Chinese consumers. During this year’s CNY sales, the transaction volume of frozen products directly procured by JD Fresh saw strong growth compared with the sales data from last year’s shopping festival, such as black tiger prawns from Thailand (up by 2 times), beef from Argentina (up by4 times), shrimps from Greenland of Denmark(up by 6 times), whereas the transaction volume of live lobsters jumped over 10 times compared with last month. These lobsters are harvested ashore from Canada and delivered to Chinese consumers in as soon as 17 hours through JD’s e-commerce platform, fresh and at a good price.

To facilitate more high-quality products to access the Chinese market, JD.com introduced the National Pavilions project which is supported by embassies, trade associations, and other official institutions, to serve as a window for products of each country to be more identifiable all in one portal and help merchants to test the water of the Chinese market. As of now, nearly 100 national pavilions are set up on JD.com, greatly enriching Chinese consumers’ shopping choices for the new year as strong sales are seen on Italian olive oil, Cyprus’ blue wine, South American mate drink and many more products.

This year marks the 11^th year in a row that JD Logistics commits to non-stop delivery service during the CNY holidays, as part of the company’s commitment to satisfy consumers whenever and wherever they need.

 

(vivian.yang@jd.com)