Apr 11, 2023|
JD Fresh Commits to Sourcing RMB 1 Billion Premium Thai Fruits, Including More Tree-Ripened Durians, to Meet Growing Demand in China
by Vivian Yang
JD Fresh, JD.com’s online fresh food division, recently announced it will purchase RMB 1 billion (US$ 0.15 billion) worth of Thai fruits over the next two years. With a focus on direct sourcing and leveraging its supply chain capabilities, JD Fresh aims to meet to the surging demand for high-quality fruits among Chinese consumers.
Earlier this month, JD Fresh’s veteran fruit buyers visited major fruit-producing regions in Thailand and signed procurement orders of durians, coconuts, and longans, among other popular fruits.
As the durian season begins in May, JD Fresh will join hands with local suppliers to explore ways to offer more tree-ripened durians in China. This approach allows the fruit to reach 85 percent or greater ripeness before harvesting, as opposed to the traditional practice of pre-ripe picking, which sacrifices flavor for a longer import journey.
To further ensure the quality of the fruits, JD Fresh is implementing liquid nitrogen freezing technology immediately after the tree-ripened durians are harvested and sorted. which locks in their freshness right after being picked and sorted at the farms. The fruit will then be imported to China using cold-chain logistics throughout the entire journey, ensuring widespread availability to consumers across the nation through JD Logistics’ extensive cold-chain network.
The Thai durian season runs from April to October, with peak availability in China during May. Chinese consumers’ insatiable appetite for the “king of fruits” continues to drive market growth, even during the winter months. In fact, during the first day of the 2022 Singles Day Grand Promotion last November, sales of frozen durians on JD Fresh grew more than 900 percent YoY.
During the trip, JD Fresh buyers also reached agreements with leading fruit brands like Joyvio and Goodfarmer to co-develop C2M (Consumer-to-Manufacturer) products. Utilizing JD’s market insights and sales capabilities within China, C2M products such as coconut water and frozen durian meat will be created based on customers’ feedback to cater to evolving tastes.
Importing durians involves a complex, multi-step process, and any missteps can result in decay. JD Fresh is revolutionizing this process by directly sourcing from the origin and utilizing its supply chain expertise, transforming durians into a standardized, readily available fresh product for consumers to enjoy at their convenience.
Additionally, through JD’s omni-channel on-demand shopping service, Chinese consumers can easily order fruits online and have them delivered from nearby offline stores to their doorsteps within an hour.
China represents the largest overseas market for Thai durians. In 2022, China imported 825,000 tons of durians, valued at US$4.03 billion, 780,000 tons originating from Thailand.
Dec 20, 2024|
Dada NOW Receives “Leading Restaurant Empowerment Platform” Award at the 10th China Catering Innovation Conference
On December 19, Dada NOW, China’s leading local on-demand delivery platform under Dada Group, was awarded the “Leading Restaurant Empowerment Platform” accolade at the 10th China Catering Innovation Conference in Shanghai. Celebrated for its innovative 4D Service Standards, Dada NOW delivers professional, flexible, intelligent, and customizable services to top food and beverage brands including CHAGEE, KFC, Luckin Coffee, McDonald’s, and Pizza Hut, garnering extensive acclaim within the catering industry.
4D Service Standards
The “Leading Restaurant Empowerment Platform” award honors platforms that provide comprehensive and professional services to restaurant businesses. Leveraging years of experience with leading restaurant brands, Dada NOW has crafted its 4D Service Standards to effectively address delivery challenges and enhance service quality. These standards include:
- Dedicated: Integrated solutions for warehousing, picking, and delivery.
- Dynamic: Tailored delivery solutions for diverse vendor scenarios, including store-stationed and crowdsourced rider options.
- Data-driven: Efficient data management systems utilizing AI technology for order dispatching, fulfillment timeliness, and quality inspection.
- Designable: Customized services for large supermarkets and restaurant merchants to bolster brand value.
Fast and Accurate Delivery
In the fast-paced food delivery sector, Dada NOW’s survey data indicates that 63% of brand merchants and consumers expect timely delivery, 21% prioritize location accuracy, and 9% value punctual pickup. Dada NOW completes delivery in as quickly as 9 minutes, with a 99.5% on-time completion rate and a 98% accuracy delivery rate. Real-time order matching is achieved in as fast as 0.3 seconds, ensuring fast and accurate service.
Unlike delivery providers that only focus on a single merchant type, Dada NOW provides both supermarket and restaurant deliveries. The differing peak times between these sectors allow for capacity complementation, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs. With a nationwide network of over a million riders and an industry-leading on-demand delivery model, Dada NOW has executed over 900 million route plans, swiftly allocating resources during peak periods such as lunch and dinner rushes, new product launches, and promotional events.
Customized Solutions for Merchants
To meet the strong customization needs of brand merchants, Dada NOW can offer bespoke services for each store, integrating its delivery capacity, products, and technological solutions. A notable example is the partnership with Sam’s Club, for which since 2017 Dada NOW has developed customized solutions in delivery capacity models, co-branded equipment, rider training, and system integration. This collaboration has achieved nearly 100% coverage of customized rider equipment such as helmets, uniform and delivery containers, and provides excellent customer service experiences. This highly effective collaboration demonstrates Dada NOW capabilities that are also transferrable to the restaurant sector.
Luckin Coffee, a long-standing partner of Dada NOW, exemplifies the high standards in the coffee and tea beverage sector, achieving a “30-minute delivery rate of 99.9%” to maintain peak freshness delivered to customers’ doorsteps. Dada NOW’s flexible rider network effectively manages peak demands and large order volumes during product launches and promotions through an intelligent order dispatching system, ensuring optimized delivery routes and careful handling to prevent issues like coffee spillage. Since 2023, this partnership has earned Dada Now several accolades from Luckin Coffee, including the “Best Strategic Cooperation Award” and “2023 Outstanding Delivery Partner,” with rider Tu Yanping being recognized as one of four “Annual Gold Riders” nationwide.
Dada Group operates two core businesses: JD NOW, formerly known as JDDJ, an instant retail platform, and Dada NOW, a local on-demand delivery service. Leveraging its extensive crowdsourced delivery network of millions of riders, Dada NOW provides a comprehensive service system open to merchants and individual senders across various industries and product categories. The company’s two platforms operate independently and collaboratively.
(vivian.yang@jd.com)
JD Worldwide and O’PURE Bring the Fresh Taste of New Zealand to China with Exclusive Milk Launch on JD’s Cross-Border E-Commerce Platform
