by Vivian Yang

JD.com launched a home cleaning service operated fully in-house on Apr. 8, which marks another big step for the e-commerce giant in the local service market. The company’s trust-based and high-quality brand image gives it a leg up when introducing its self-managed domestic services and addressing some knotty problems in this industry.

According to JD’s website, customers can enjoy four main benefits of home cleaning services: standardized services – all cleaners need to complete strict training programs provided by JD and pass more than one hundred skill tests both in written and practical to get the qualification to serve on JD’s platform; transparent prices – consumers just follow the fixed price rates on JD’s app to order services and add hours for any overtime work via the platform; customer service hotline – customers can feedback to JD’s own customer service hotline anytime for the company to track and ensure the quality of the cleaning service; three layers of insurance – for each service order, JD will purchase personal safety insurance for both the customer and the cleaner, as well as the insurance against damage or loss of customers’ property.

As part of the standardization effort, each JD cleaner must be equipped with more than 30 items in their toolkit. For example, the cleaning cloth set alone includes nine towels and four rags that are specified to be used in different rooms to ensure hygiene and cleaning effectiveness.

Cleaners need to follow multiple anti-COVID measures to conduct the door-to-door service, such as showing their health code, wearing masks and shoe covers, strictly adopting the seven-step handwashing technique, taking all waste with them in customized trash bags after service and more.

“This home cleaning service is a new addition to JD’s local life service offerings within a 3 kilometers radius,” said Keren Wu, general manager of JD’s local life business unit. “Such JD-standard premier services in customers’ vicinity will be gradually introduced in Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and more cities.”

In addition to home cleaning, JD operates a number of local life services in-house including food delivery, car maintenance, pharmacy, healthcare services and more.

(vivian.yang@jd.com)