by Vivian Yang and Yuchuan Wang

JD.com has firmly committed to an unparalleled investment in this year’s 618 Grand Promotion, affirming it as the industry’s most extensive, according to Lijun Xin, CEO of JD Retail during a press conference on May 22nd in Beijing for the mid-year shopping festival.

Embracing the mantra of “Diverse Selection, Fast Delivery, High-Quality, and Cost-Effective,” JD.com is dedicated to providing consumers with a seamless, economical, and stress-free shopping experience throughout the festival.

As the first nationwide shopping festival in China post-COVID-19, the event is regarded a bellwether of China’s consumption market and a significant growth opportunity for numerous brands and merchants. JD has seen a record number of participating merchants both online and offline, all gearing up for the festival.

This year, the JD 618 Grand Promotion will kick off its pre-sale period at 8 p.m. on May 23rd, leading into full-scale campaigns commencing at 8 p.m. on May 31st.

Simplified Shopping with “Direct Discount”

It’s anticipated that JD’s “10-billion yuan discount” program via the JD App will feature ten times as many products compared to when the initiative was launched in March. The program now features over 200 highly sought-after items and approximately 100,000 bestsellers spanning all e-commerce platforms.

If JD users discover a product within the “10-billion yuan discount” program priced higher than on other platforms, they’re invited to submit a request to receive double the price difference as compensation from JD.

This year, JD will introduce the “direct discount” pricing mechanism, eliminating the confusion of coupon selection while stacking benefits for long-term users and JD PLUS members.

 A Growing Pool of Sellers Offering Diverse Products

Earlier this year, JD.com rolled out the “Spring Dawn Initiative,” attracting an array of new vendors, including farmers, designers, and artisans to join through a series of supportive measures. In the first quarter alone, the number of new merchants on JD’s platform soared by 240% compared to the same period last year.

This year’s festival boasts the highest number of online and offline participating brands and merchants, bringing increasingly diversified products to the platform. At the same time, high-profile brands that joined JD.com in the first half of this year, such as Tiffany, Bottega Veneta, and Tesla, will are set to contribute their most popular and high-quality items for the JD 618 Grand Promotion.

On the physical retail front, tens of thousands of JD’s self-operated stores and millions of partnering stores will participate in this year’s festivities. In addition, on-demand retail service providers, JDDJ and JD Shop Now, will collaborate with over 300,000 brick-and-mortar stores across China to organize an array of promotional activities.

Accelerated Delivery and Post-Sale Services

Launched more than 13 years ago, JD’s same- and next-day delivery service has set industry standards across hundreds of cities in China. For this 618 festival, JD Logistics will strategically place inventory closer to customers, enabling couriers to make doorstep deliveries minutes after an order is placed, with this service available in at least 300 cities in China.

Meanwhile, Dada has bolstered its delivery team for the shopping season, with millions of Dada riders standing by to provide one-hour delivery service for on-demand retail goods in more than 2,000 counties, districts, and cities. This speed also extends to customer service. For example, JD’s decade-old “Lightning-Fast Refund” service can process customer refunds within a second of the application.

JD Technology will exert efforts of its advanced digital infrastructure to facilitate business partners in improving cost and efficiency, including providing 24/7 livestreaming shopping guidance services for 4,000 key brand owners, and digital virtual livestreaming rooms and supply chain finance services for merchants.

Superior Quality and Services

JD.com has always adhered to authenticity since its inception, ensuring customers receive high-quality, guaranteed, and trusted products. Coupled with this commitment, JD.com continuously strives to enhance its after-sales service. Over the past five years, JD Retail has invested nearly RMB 80 billion in user services. Currently, the company offers more than 200 customized services, 80 of which are unique to JD. These include a 30-day price guarantee, hassle-free returns, 180-day exchange without repair, trade-in, 30-day free-exchange for apparel and shoes, 24/7 pharmacy consulting services, and more. Since the creation of the “price guarantee” service in 2008, JD has helped its customers save nearly RMB 8 billion.

During this year’s 618 Grand Promotion,  JD will extend its service length and include more categories. Innovative services such as “half-month free tastes” for food items and “half-year worry-free stock up” for home furnishing products will debut at the festival. Furthermore, JDDJ, JD’s on-demand retail platform, will join hands with household brands such as Midea, Gree, Philips, and Arrow to offer integrated delivery and installation services.

JD.com has always prioritized creating a comprehensive, rapid, high-quality, and cost-effective consumer experience.. This enduring commitment continues to shape JD.com’s original vision. Looking forward to the next 20 years, JD.com will continue to optimize and enhance the user experience around cost, efficiency, products, prices, and services.

From the onset, JD.com has dedicated itself to providing a “diverse, fast, quality, and cost-effective” shopping experience. The company will remain true to its business philosophy, centered around cost-efficiency, quality products, competitive prices, and outstanding services for the decades to come.

(vivian.yang@jd.com, wangyuchuan@jd.com)