Ambassador of Denmark to China Visits JD.com

Posted on by Rachel Liu

by Rachel Liu

Thomas Østrup Møller, Ambassador of Denmark to China, visited JD Beijing headquarters today for discussion on future cooperation opportunities. Anne Marie Engtoft Larsen, Denish Tech Ambassador, also joined the discussion online from Copenhagen.

Following a tour around JD headquarters, the JD team gave Ambassador Møller an introduction to the operations plan for the future Demark National Pavilion to be launched on JD Worldwide, JD’s platform for imported products. Also discussed was JD’s green supply chain program Green Stream Initiative, in which the ambassadors showed great interest. The ambassadors expressed their support for these on-going projects, and hope to extend the cooperation with JD to more areas, especially technology.

JD team gave Ambassador Møller an introduction to the operations plan for the future Demark National Pavilion to be launched on JD Worldwide,

“Danish people are very creative and innovative. Danish brands are very popular among Chinese consumers, such as Lego, Danisa cookies and Ecco,” said Larry Lee, vice president of JD. “As the leading retailer in China, we hope to become the bridge between Chinese customers and Danish brands. For JD, technology plays an important role in the future development of the company, and we believe there will be cooperation opportunities between JD’s newly formed JD Technology business division and Denmark.”

“We are very happy with the current cooperation and greatly appreciate the opportunities that JD Retail and JD Health offers,” said Ambassador Møller. “Besides our current efforts to bring in more Danish brands, especially the SMEs, by forming a national pavilion on JD Worldwide, I also very much look forward to the further cooperation opportunities with JD in more areas, including health, sustainable logistics, digitalisation and technology. We see big potential in China regarding these areas.”

“For Denmark, it is very important that technological development is done in a responsible way. My office works to build diplomatic ties with the global tech industry, to increase dialogue, understanding and public-private collaboration. This February we just launched the new Danish Tech Strategy 2021-2023 with a vision to create a responsible, inclusive and secure technological future that delivers solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. We hope to explore potential areas to continue the dialogue with JD.com such as learning more about JD’ s efforts on increasing data privacy and protection and more broadly your approach and visions on responsibility in the tech industry,” said Ambassador Larsen.

JD has introduced many leading Danish brands on its platform to great success. Take Lego for example: Since the Lego first party flagship store launched on JD in 2015, it has accumulated over 13 million followers. JD also supported the brand to penetrate deeper into lower-tier markets, and the improvement of the brands’ marketing ability in the Chinese market. On JD Worldwide, hottest-selling Danish brands includes audio equipment brand B&O, Ecco, dairy product brand arla, and accessories brand Pandora.

 

(liuchang61@jd.com)

JD Global and Visa to form a Partnership in Cross-border E-commerce

Posted on by Yuchuan Wang

JD Global Sales under JD.com, and Visa Inc., the world’s leader in digital payments, have signed an agreement to deepen cooperation in cross-border e-commerce.

Under the partnership, JD Global Sales and Visa agreed to jointly launch an online merchant subsidies program, targeting consumers across Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and overseas markets. The program aims at facilitating the overseas expansion of Chinese brands and merchants, helping them recover from the COVID-19 epidemic at a faster pace with optimized cross-border products and services, as well as driving cross-border e-commerce growth post-the pandemic. With special offers tailored for Visa cardholders, the program will help connect JD customers worldwide and provide them with easy access to a wide selection of products and services from JD, while ensuring a fast, secure and frictionless payment experience.

The partnership will allow JD Global Sales and Visa to further explore Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan markets and address the growing consumer demand for cross-border e-commerce in the region by strengthening local infrastructure development and co-creation. With the adoption of Visa’s tokenization technology, JD Global Sales will promote “one-click” card binding to JD customers, enabling a securer, more convenient and more seamless cross-border online shopping experience for mobile payment users. In addition, with a focus on enterprise-level customers of JD.com and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in China, the two parties will explore B2B digital solutions to empower their digital transformation and development of cross-border commerce.

“JD.com puts customers first and provides them with quality products and services regardless of where they are. “said Chris Choi, head of Global Sales, JD.com, at the signing ceremony. “As JD Worldwide continues to integrate our supply chain at a global scale, we are laying a solid foundation for improving localized services and logistics.  JD Global Sales considers itself a bridge that connects Chinese brands and the world and act as a solid backing for Chinese companies going overseas.  Through the partnership with Visa, we will better serve global markets by leveraging JD’s own resources and the global network of Visa to expand internationally.”

“2021 is going to be an unprecedented year for e-commerce, and digital platforms will be the new High Street for small and micro businesses (SMBs). Not only can they gain greater exposure and reach potential customers on digital platforms, but also create new service experiences for digital-first customers,” said Henry Yang, Vice President, head of Merchant Sales and Acquiring at Visa Greater China. “At Visa, we take an open partnership approach. We are committed to becoming the trusted engine for commerce by connecting buyers and sellers worldwide with our innovative, fast, secure and reliable digital payments network. We are excited to work with JD Global Sales to help China’s cross-border e-commerce thrive.”

Henry Yang (left), Vice President, head Merchant Sales and Acquiring at Visa Greater China, and Chris Choi (right), head of Global Sales, JD.com, signed the partnership agreement.

Henry Yang (left), Vice President, head Merchant Sales and Acquiring at Visa Greater China, and Chris Choi (right), head of Global Sales, JD.com, signed the partnership agreement.

Background

In 2021, the continuous evolution towards integrated commerce is no longer just an emerging trend but a reality. To meet the evolving consumer demands, companies and merchants seek to provide the best customer experience and adopt business strategies to reduce friction, accelerate innovation, and develop multiple channels. Visa’s data shows that since January 2020, the total number of Visa cards used for e-commerce transactions worldwide (excluding travel) has increased by 14%. In emerging markets, the growth rate is as high as 100%, driven by net-new e-commerce users in many cases.

Accelerated digital transformation worldwide in the wake of the pandemic is bringing new opportunities for China’s cross-border e-commerce business. In 2020, China’s cross-border e-commerce trade volume totaled 1.69 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 31.1%, while e-commerce exports were 1.12 trillion yuan, up 40.1% year-on-year.  Under the new partnership, JD Global Sales and Visa agreed on moves in 2021 to develop a global commerce ecosystem, in addition to creating financial solutions for cross-border e-commerce scenarios. Giving full play to the global coverage and impact of JD Global Sales and Visa, the cooperation will promote shared resources development and financial empowerment.

Built on the successful partnership in 2019, JD Global Sales continues to be a Visa Partner of Excellence in cross-border trade in 2020. In the new partnership, Visa and JD Global Sales will streamline resources to create added value for the cross-border e-commerce. Visa operates one of the largest electronic payment networks in the world—VisaNet—connecting a total of 3.5 billion Visa cards worldwide and nearly 70 million merchant locations in more than 200 countries and territories.

JD Global Sales, as an e-commerce platform of JD.com for global consumers, has seen rapid growth in recent years. In 2020, its business targeting Chinese consumers overseas increased by 2.5 times year-on-year in terms of trade volume, making JD.com a preferred shopping platform for more and more consumers. The two parties will extend the partnership to provide capacity building tools to empower SMB owners in China’s e-commerce space, helping them make informed business decisions with confidence and unlock greater potential in the increasingly competitive market.

JD to Help COSCO Shipping Logistics Build Intelligent Warehouse

Posted on by Yuchuan Wang

by Yuchuan Wang

COSCO Shipping Logistics and JD Logistics (JDL) inked a partnership on Apr. 2 in which JDL will help COSCO build an intelligent warehouse in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, to drive the digital transformation of the logistics service provider affiliated with COSCO Shipping Corporation which owns one of the world’s largest shipping fleets.

According to the agreement, JDL will provide COSCO Shipping Logistics with integrated supply chain solutions. By introducing a highly efficient intelligent stacking machine system, the intelligent warehouse in Jiaxing is expected to be able to handle as many as 5 times the number of the in- and out-bound goods a traditional warehouse can process on an hourly basis. In addition, JDL will leverage its advanced algorithms and operations experience to enable unmanned retrieving and return of pallets in the warehouse.

“The Jiaxing automation project is a starting point of our collaboration with JD Logistics and a demonstration of the digital transformation push of COSCO Shipping Logistics,” said Kai Jiang, general manager of the company. “We hope to deepen our cooperation with JDL in both domestic and overseas markets in the future and complement each other’s advantages.”

“Supply chain digital transformation is a systematic project for enterprises. We are thrilled to participate in the construction of COSCO Shipping Logistics’ intelligent warehouse system which will leverage our deep understanding of supply chain automation, digitalization and intelligent-ization,” said Jade Wang, head of open platform for digital supply chain at JDL. “The two parties will establish a long-term communication mechanism to drive the digital transformation of COSCO Shipping Logistics.”

JD.com established a partnership with COSCO Shipping Corporation in 2017 and has since collaborated in shipment, logistics, e-commerce, technology and finance.

 

(yuchuan.wang@jd.com)

JD Holds Steak Campaign to Adapt to Consumption Trends

Posted on by Ling Cao

by Ling Cao

JD held a Super Steak Campaign during Mar. 22 to Mar. 28, in order to match customers’ increasing demand for purchasing diverse, high-end and specialized steaks.

JD’s data showed that 8,929 tons of steaks were sold during the campaign. Customers who bought steak for the first time on JD increased 120% YOY. Additionally, the campaign accelerated sales for other related categories, in which shrimp, fish and meat sales increased 200%, 110% and 80% YOY, respectively.

A report from Nielsen showed that customers tend to buy the freshest and highest-quality produce and meat, 32% of who are willing to pay for meat from big brands. JD’s data showed the same trend, in which popular steak brands such as Hitomorrow and Hondo sales have surged since March to now.

In another trend, data from JD showed that more and more parents buy steak specialized for kids, as these products normally select tender steak cuts, which are more suitable for kids. Data showed that sales of this category increased 3.5 times in March compared with that in February.

Nielsen’s report unveiled another trend for fresh produce consumption, which is that customers tend to consider whether the shopping experience is convenient. To provide tailored service for customers, JD combined the products with a staggered delivery service, in which customers buy a larger volume of steak, but have the option of postponing delivery of some portion of the steak until the customers are ready, in order to ensure freshness.

JD has long been determined to provide best-in-class steak for customers. Ye Kan, sales manager of meat products at JD Fresh shared that they regularly review customer comments, popular key word searches and more, in order to ensure that JD Fresh is addressing customer’s demands. One example is that last year, JD Fresh designed a steak product specifically for JD’s PLUS members, with premium beef collections and packages which is very popular among PLUS members, with a 97% satisfaction rate.

 

(ling.cao@jd.com)

Chinese Artist Cao Fei Highlights JD.com in First Major Solo Exhibit in Beijing

Posted on by Kelly Dawson

by Kelly Dawson

The first major solo art exhibition by renowned contemporary Chinese artist Cao Fei has opened at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing, with a section highlighting JD.com in two videos filmed at one of the company’s futuristic, AI-powered Asia No. 1 automated warehouses. Titled “Staging the Era,” the exhibition is a retrospective of Cao’s work, which explores themes of economic growth and globalization, encapsulating the dizzying changes that have taken place in China and around the world in recent decades.

In a video titled “Asia One,” a JD employee is seen interfacing with digital devices in JD’s warehouse.  

In a video titled “Asia One,” a JD employee is seen interfacing with digital devices in JD’s warehouse.  He is accompanied by only one other employee, and a team of robots that echo JD’s real-life use of autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) and other AI technology to handle more than 1.3 million packages per day during peak shopping seasons, seen here in a seemingly never-ending stream and dispatched with orderly efficiency. The two workers yearn for affection, yet struggle to connect.

Later a group of workers appear in the warehouse to participate in a feverish dance performance reminiscent of Chinese operas, a surreal sequence surrounding an enormous inflated octopus that serves as contrast to the futuristic, sleek technology of previous scenes. Above them is a banner that reads, “Humans and machines, hand in hand.”

In this video, JD’s (very human) employees are showcased, with some of its more than 190,000 couriers and logistics workers seen racing through the streets of Beijing, a common sight in the capital city.

Also featured in the exhibition is the documentary film “11.11 (2018),” which was filmed at JD headquarters in Beijing and explores the overwhelmingly complex operations undertaken by the e-commerce giant during the enormously popular shopping festival occurring on Nov. 11 each year. In this video, JD’s (very human) employees are showcased, with some of its more than 190,000 couriers and logistics workers seen racing through the streets of Beijing, a common sight in the capital city.

Both videos were previously featured in a 2018 group exhibition titled “One Hand Clapping” at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, on which occasion the New York Times declared that “No young artist has a sharper view of the future than Cao Fei.” Describing “Asia One,” the newspaper described the video as a “mournfully beautiful hybrid of economic forecast and tragic love story.”

Now appearing as part of the artist’s first major solo exhibition at UCCA, “Asia One” and “11.11” are showcased in a separate area and accompanied by JD paraphernalia including a warehouse hard hat and stacked delivery boxes. Also appearing at the exhibition is the giant inflated octopus from “Asia One,” an absolutely unforgettable image.

Asia One” and “11.11” are showcased in a separate area and accompanied by JD paraphernalia including a warehouse hard hat and stacked delivery boxes.

“Staging the Era” will be on exhibit at UCCA in Beijing until June 6, 2021.

 

(kellydawson@jd.com)

SEVEN FRESH Buyers Make In-season Vegetables Accessible to Customers

Posted on by Ling Cao

by Ling Cao

During the spring period, JD’s SEVEN FRESH buyers are busily collecting in-season vegetables for customers, as data showed that customers in tier one and two markets favored them in recent years, shared Jiangtao Song, a SEVEN FRESH buyer, on Mar. 31. One of the biggest challenges, however, is that as some of the products come from lower-tier markets, making transportation a challenge.

One customer in Beijing said, “I want to buy yu qian (samara of elm tree) while I didn’t find any supermarkets selling them. I saw there were several merchants selling them online though, I failed to buy at last mostly due to the long-distance delivery will damage its freshness, merchants only deliver to places nearby.”

Part of Jiang’s job is to solve these problems for customers and make more high quality fresh vegetables accessible. Last week, he visited Hanyang county in Shanxi province, where is the place of origin for cedrela sinensis. When farmers collected the leaves from the trees in the morning, Jiang quickly organized farmers to get rid of unqualified ones and applied a pre-refrigeration process to guarantee its quality. The vegetable will then be sent to SEVEN FRESH in Beijing, traveling over 800 kilometers with the help of cold chain logistics, and be stored in special freezers. Customers can now purchase in-store even as fast as the same day the leaves have been picked.

Jiang said, “During the spring season, we are able to provide over 40 in-season vegetables to customers.” JD’s data showed that since beginning of March to now, in-season vegetables sales are over five times compared with the same period last year.

To make this happen, SEVEN FRESH buyers like Jiang will travel to Yunnan, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Shandong and other provinces from the beginning of March to late April, ensuring adequate control over the entire supply chain. JD’s SEVEN FRESH buyers are on the hunt for fresh products all year round, traveling over 200,000 kilometers per year on average to source the best for customers.

 

(ling.cao@jd.com)

Photo Gallery: This Week at JD (Mar. 27 – Apr. 2)

Posted on by Yuchuan Wang

JD Health and PKUcare Brain Health, China’s leading research and treatment platform for childhood psychiatric health,

JD Health and PKUcare Brain Health, China’s leading research and treatment platform for childhood psychiatric health, announces to build a platform for children with autism on Apr. 2, World Autism Awareness Day. The platform will bring online and offline resources to create one-stop services that range from knowledge popularization, medical screening, and diagnosis to rehabilitation for children with mental health disorders.

 

Yuzefi, a London handbag brand, launched a flagship store on JD

Yuzefi, a London handbag brand, launched a flagship store on JD on Mar. 29. This is the first time for the designer brand to open a flagship store on an e-commerce platform in China. The brand’s best-selling collections, such as Dip, Daria, Bom, Loaf, which are difficult to order globally, are made available on JD through the store.

 

JD hosted nearly 100 primary school students and their teachers for a field trip at its hydroponic plant factory in the Tongzhou district of Beijing

JD hosted nearly 100 primary school students and their teachers for a field trip at its hydroponic plant factory in the Tongzhou district of Beijing on Mar. 22. The event was part of a larger program which started last year in which JD offers the plant factory as a high tech educational facility for elementary and middle school students as well as families to learn hands on.

 

Siemens officially partners with JD Home Appliance stores to bring high-quality appliances and lifestyle to JD customers.

Siemens officially partners with JD Home Appliance stores to bring high-quality appliances and lifestyle to JD customers. The announcement was made at a signing ceremony held in Nanjing, Jiangsu province on Mar. 25, attends by Dr. Alexander Dony (third from right), CEO of Bosch Home Appliance Greater China, and Fan Xie (third from left), president of JD Home Appliance.

 

JD Farm, JD.com’s smart agriculture business, launched a digital tea farm project in Ya’an, Sichuan province

JD Farm, JD.com’s smart agriculture business, launched a digital tea farm project in Ya’an, Sichuan province on Mar. 27. The project leverages the company’s expertise e-commerce and logistics, together with advanced technologies including AI, big data and IoT. The digital tea farm is a collaboration with leading tea company Sichuan Mengdinghuang Tea Industry Co., Ltd., which operates over a one-square-kilometer tea farm.

 

JD.ID, JD.com’s joint venture in Indonesia, celebrated its fifth anniversary

JD.ID, JD.com’s joint venture in Indonesia, celebrated its fifth anniversary on Mar. 28. To mark the occasion, the company’s CMO, Leo Haryono, speaks with the founder of Alarice and ChoZan and LinkedIn influencer, Ashley Dudarenok, about the company’s journey since 2016, consumer trends in Indonesia, and what to expect from JD.ID going forward. View the whole discussion here.

 

JD Data Indicates Chinese Consumers’ Renewed Confidence in Travel

Posted on by Ella Kidron

by Ella Kidron

This weekend many Chinese consumers will travel for the Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping) holiday (Apr. 3-5), as indicated by a new report released by JD Big Data Research Institute on Mar. 31. The festival is traditionally associated with families reuniting and traveling to their loved ones’ gravesites to pay their respects, andd it is a time for people to take mini vacations as well.

The data indicates that after spending the Chinese New Year locally, consumers have opted to get on the road for the quick three day weekend. According to the report, starting Mar. 1 sales of plane tickets bought to be used Apr. 1-5 have clearly increased. From the first to the third week of March sales volume of plane tickets has increased 4 times. One of the contributing factors is that on Mar. 16, Beijing announced a relaxation of travel rules, noting that people coming from low risk areas could travel freely without having to show a record of a nucleic acid COVID-19 test – taking some of the hassle out of travel that was present during the Chinese New Year holiday.

The hottest destinations in terms of province-level municipalities are Hainan, Hebei, Sichuan, Hubei and Tianjin. The most popular destination cities are Sanya, Hainan province, Macau, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province and Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Top 5 province-level municipalities and destination cities

Top 5 province-level municipalities and destination cities (Source: JD Big Data Research Institute)

Fei Lu, senior analyst at the JD Big Data Research Institute, said: “The mini-peak in travel this Qingming Festival is apparent. It not only represents people’s renewed confidence in travel but also puts in motion a May Day and summer travel surge.”

 

 

(ella@jd.com)