Sep 14, 2020|
JDer Lab #2 with Alexander Kremer: Rolling-up His Sleeves on the Frontlines to Get the Job Done
by Kelly Dawson
JD.com’s more than 280,000 employees range from warehouse workers to world-renowned doctors, with a wide range of backgrounds and areas of expertise. In the next installment of our JDer Lab series, we speak to another JDer about what it’s really like to work for China’s largest retailer.
One might expect that he would spend most of his time behind a desk—but as Kremer told us, he first got a taste of the company’s hands-on work culture when he was sent to Suqian, a Chinese city in northern Jiangsu province, to man a customer call center, an experience that really drove home how much the company values customers and high-quality service, he said. Unlike other companies, JD does not outsource customer service.
In his two years with the company Kremer has also served on some of JD’s other frontlines, as part of the company’s tradition of inviting “white collar” workers to support logistics and “last mile” delivery services during the annual 618 Grand Promotion and Singles Day (November 11th) periods. “That’s exciting, because it’s a really important part of our business,” Kremer said. “I think it’s something that could only happen here [at JD].”
That tradition is just one of the many ways in which the team comes together to pull off the 618 (June 18) mid-year shopping festival, which this year grossed 269.2 billion yuan for the company. Kremer’s team put in extensive preparation and thought into making the promotion enjoyable and exciting for consumers, working closely with sales partners and celebrating with them as the promotion proved successful, he said.
These days Kremer is most excited about tackling omnichannel integration in JD’s supermarket division. As the company has expanded into different formats, including offline, multi-channel and online, customers can now expect even faster delivery—even within half an hour of purchase in some cases. As always, the goal is to ensure the customer receives their order as quickly as possible at reasonable cost, he said.
(kellydawson@jd.com)
Jun 23, 2025|
JD.com Named to Gartner’s Global Supply Chain Top 25 for Second Consecutive Year
JD.com, also known as JINGDONG, has been named to the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2025 for the second consecutive year. The recognition underscores the company’s excellence in the global supply chain sector driven by sustained innovation. As the 22nd ranked company, JD.com remains the only Chinese retailer to be included in the Top 25, joined by global supply chain leaders including Apple, Amazon, P&G, Unilever, Walmart and more.
As the industry’s most prestigious ranking, Gartner Top 25 evaluates companies based on key areas including financial metrics, ESG performance, and expert opinion. Gartner also identified three success drivers shaping this year’s rankings: -autonomous operations, agentic AI, and water stewardship.
Technology Drives Efficiency Elevation
Since launching its comprehensive technology transformation in 2017, JD.com has invested more than RMB 140 billion in R&D. By the end of 2024, the company’s supply chain infrastructure assets increased to RMB 161 billion, up 12% year-on-year.
These investments have helped fuel the company’s highly efficient operations. Managing over 10 million self-operated SKUs, JD.com maintained an impressive inventory turnover of approximately 30 days in 2024. The company also launched TimeHF, its first self-developed billion-scale time series forecasting model, improving forecast accuracy by over 10% and enhancing scientific and accurate inventory management.
Smart Logistics for Speedy Fulfillment
JINGDONG Logistics (also known as JD Logistics) operates over 40 “Asia No.1” intelligent logistics parks across China, where AI-powered scheduling robots work alongside warehousing staff to improve storage efficiency by 10%. To further improve logistics efficiency, cutting-edge systems such as pick robots, sorting machines, and autonomous delivery vehicles work at scale to improve performance.
The “Logistics Brain” system powers dozens of real-world business scenarios across JD.com’s network. For example, the “Courier Assistant” and “Smart Station Manager” use AI to reduce manual hours and enhance management efficiency at front delivery stations. In agriculture, blockchain-based traceability platforms have helped increase fruit and vegetable sales by 30%, while spatial-temporal intelligence tools have shortened store location planning cycles by 80%.
Guided by the principle of bringing goods as close as possible to the customer, JD.com has continued to optimize its logistics network and delivery processes by minimizing handling steps and shortening transportation distance. Today, 95% of JD.com’s retail orders in China can be delivered within 24 hours.
AI for Full Supply Chain Efficiency
JD Cloud is the technological cornerstone of JD.com, its self-developed large language model (LLM), which supports the intelligent upgrade across the company’s supply chain. JD Cloud’s proprietary intelligent agent, JoyAgent 2.0, addresses both general and complex commercial queries and is currently running more than 14,000 instances internally. Meanwhile, its “Joy Inside” program connects with leading robotics partners to offer highly personalized, intelligent companionship solutions.
Additionally, JD.com is leveraging AI to drive full-chain efficiency. The “Logistics Brain” system integrates LLMs and digital twin technology to enable real-time simulations for billions of orders, accelerating fulfillment times by over 12% during the 2024 JD.com Singles Day shopping festival.
Green Supply Chain
JD.com is also a leader in building a low-carbon supply chain through innovative green technologies. Its self-developed carbon footprint platform, Jingtanhui, serves over 100 brands, helping manage more than 500 tons of carbon assets, and manages over 40 million waybills. The program has been recognized in China’s national green technology promotion catalog. The company supports paperless operations through its procurement system saving paper equivalent to 20,000 trees annually, while smart packaging algorithms strike a balance between sustainability and cost. In 2022, JD.com launched the “Green Impact Initiative” to encourage eco-conscious consumption and carbon-inclusive actions. Working with brand partners, JD.com has generated approximately 100 million green orders reinforcing its position as a sustainability leader.
People-Focused, Socially Responsible
As of April 30, 2025, JD.com employed over 720,000 personnel under the company’s ecosystem and has been recognized by Fortune China’s ESG Impact List for three consecutive years (2022–2024). JD.com will continue to build a more intelligent, efficient, and green supply chain as part of its long-term commitment to serving global consumers and partners, and driving high-quality development across the industry.
Jun 19, 2025|
JD.com Sets New Record for 618 Grand Promotion: Over 2.2 Billion Orders Placed, More Than 100% Year-on-Year Growth in Shoppers
JD.com announced that it achieved record-breaking results during the 2025 JD.com 618 Grand Promotion, the company’s anniversary and China’s largest mid-year shopping festival. As of 11:59 PM (UTC+8) on June 18, the number of purchasing users more than doubled year-on-year. Across JD.com’s online and offline retail, and food delivery businesses, total order volume surpassed 2.2 billion orders. At the same time, the JD.com app reached a new all-time high in daily active users (DAU). The company continued to lead the industry in both scale and growth of the electronics (3C) and home appliance categories, while apparel & beauty, and daily necessities posted the fastest growth in the industry. Orders from over one million offline stores saw robust growth.
JD.com’s food delivery business is connected to over 1.5 million quality restaurants across 350 cities in China. Supported by a nationwide network of more than 120,000 riders, JD Food Delivery has seen its daily orders exceed 25 million during this year’s 618 promotion.
On June 18, JD.com opened its first 7FRESH Gourmet MALL in Harbin, marking the debut of China’s first gourmet mall to feature full live-streaming of kitchen operations, offering customers peace of mind. JD MALL, the company’s flagship experiential retail format, is also rapidly expanding across the country, with a total of 24 locations. Millions of offline stores nationwide also joined the 618 Grand Promotion, providing consumers with a seamless omnichannel shopping experience. Over 3,000 JD Electronics stores saw their sales increase by more than 240% year-on-year. JD Auto Care service orders increased by 263% year-on-year.
Leveraging JD.com’s industry-leading automated logistics and global supply chain capabilities, the company’s European retail business now covers 25 countries through the ochama and Joybuy e-commerce platforms, with same-day and next-day delivery services available in multiple locations. Transaction volume of home appliances on ochama increased by 141% year-on-year on the first promotion day of the 618. JD Global Sales has also expanded its direct-shipping logistics service to 36 countries and regions, including Singapore, Japan, and South Korea. In addition, JD Worldwide, the import cross-border e-commerce business, saw sales of gaming consoles surge by over 110% year-on-year.
During this year’s 618 promotion, JINGDONG Logistics (JD Logistics) achieved a new milestone by delivering fresh lychees from Guangdong’s Lingnan orchards to consumers in major Chinese cities within just 24 hours. This feat was made possible through a combination of air transport, high-speed rail connections, dedicated cold-chain routes, and expanded cold-storage networks. Advanced sorting equipment deployed at production sites ensured both speed and freshness. JINGDONG Logistics’ “Integrated Delivery & Installation” service achieved a year-on-year surge exceeding 300% in orders for large home appliances. Notably, On June 18, JINGDONG Logistics launched JoyExpress, its self-operated B2C express delivery service in Saudi Arabia, providing delivery as fast as same-day or next-day. JD couriers collectively traveled approximately 14.4 million kilometers every day during the event—a distance equivalent to circling the globe 360 times.
New business models are driving transformative upgrades for local industries. JD Super, the supermarket division of JD.com, is now collaborating with more than 100 specialized agricultural belts nationwide, helping farmers to establish over 1 million mu (or approximately 66,667 hectares) of JD-certified production bases. These efforts not only boost sales of regional specialties like Lingnan lychees but also pass savings directly to consumers through streamlined farm-to-table pricing.
On the technology front, JD Technology’s Digital Representatives powered over 17,000 brand live-streaming rooms. These AI virtual assistants went beyond merely handling overnight broadcasts; they actively engaged with audiences across multiple time slots, gaining widespread popularity. Crucially, the technology lowered the barriers to entry for smaller businesses, enabling even modestly resourced merchants to easily adopt and benefit from 24/7 interactive sales channels. Meanwhile, JD Cloud’s JoyBuild, a large language model-development platform powering the festival’s technical backbone, saw its API calls surge by 212% compared to the same period last year.
The success of JD.com’s 618 promotion demonstrates how innovation and consumer needs drive each other. By strengthening every link in our supply chain—from farmers’ fields to AI systems to delivery networks—we create shared benefits. Whether customers shop through their screens or at offline stores, JD.com delivers consistent high quality, great value, and premium service.
JD Data: Smart Dishwashers, Washer/Dryer Combo and Sweeping Robots are the Three New Must-Have Appliances for Chinese Families
