by Rachel Liu

JD has been awarded “Leading Company for Auto Supply Chain” and “Outstanding Auto Service Provider” at the third China Auto After-Market Summit, demonstrating JD’s strong competitive advantage in the auto after-market industry.

“JD Auto has been able to leverage its supply chain capability to integrate online and offline business throughout production, distribution, sales and service, to provide comprehensive service for customers,” said Wei Zhang, sales director of B2B business at JD Auto.

In 2B business, JD Auto integrates the whole auto parts supply chain and provides enterprises with customized products. JD is also able to help auto parts companies achieve digital transformation using its technological abilities, and provide products for JD’s offline auto stores. JD’s self-owned auto brand Jingantu (京安途) has developed auto parts products including lubricants, batteries and tires that have been customized using JD’s customers insights.

“We hope to speed up the e-commerce transformation of the auto industry and build our ability to provide high quality service for offline stores though developing our 2B business,” said Zhang.

For 2C business, JD Auto focuses on the building of JD Auto Service, JD’s offline automotive initiative, to reach 80 million car owners. Through JD Auto Service, customers can buy auto parts or maintenance services on JD.com, and then go to a JD Auto Service location for installation. Through JD Auto Service, JD has built a complete ecosystem from selling online products to providing offline services.

“JD’s advantage in products, logistics, supply chain, and our continuous effort in opening up to partners, have attracted many manufacturers and suppliers to work with us,” said Zhang. “Because of that, JD customers are also able to enjoy products and services covering motorcycles, cars and auto parts. We hope to build a more open ecosystem and win together with our partners.”

 

(liuchang61@jd.com)

by Rachel Liu

JD opened the pre-order of Huawei Mate 40 every day at 10:08am beginning on October 23^rd, and will open official sales on October 30^th. Customers pay RMB 100 yuan as deposit to participate in the pre-order. On the first day of pre-order, products made available for the day were sold out within 28 seconds.

JD’s livestream for the Huawei Mate 40 received over 4.07 million views and 10.13 million likes. Customers who bought Huawei Mate 40 phones during the pre-order period are also eligible for 30-day return and free battery change service for one year.

Chinese baijiu giant Moutai also joined hands with Huawei to provide benefits for JD customers. Customers who participated in the pre-order have the chance to win the right to buy the hot-selling Feitian Moutai which is only available for purchase at certain times.

JD and Huawei are long-time partners. During this year’s 618 Grand Promotion (June 18^th), Gang He, head of Huawei’s mobile phone division joined JD’s livestream to promote Huawei products. On June 18^th, the peak of 618 Grand Promotion, sales of HUAWEI increased over 300% YOY in the first 10 minutes. During the August 18^th (818) JD Mobile Phone Festival, sales of Huawei increased 111% YOY, and followers of Huawei flagship store on JD surpassed 40 million, which is the highest on JD of any single brand.

 

(liuchang61@jd.com)

 

 

 

by Ella Kidron

The travel momentum that was observed around the National Day holiday (October 1-8^th) has shown no signs of slowing down. Sales of travel products increased 2135% in the first hour on October 22^nd, the Super Category Day for JD Travel, and the kick off of the pre-sales for JD’s 22-day Singles Day (November 11^th) promotion period. Hotel sales on the day also saw a 2176% increase year-on-year.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of visits to attractions in China during the holiday period reached 637 million, about 81% of the 782 million visits recorded during the holiday in 2019, an impressive bounce back that helped travel companies in their recovery following a lull at the height of the pandemic.

On the Super Category Day 67% of hotel orders were for high-end hotels. The Shanghai Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental, the Sanya Yalong Bay Hilton and the Sofitel Legend Peoples Grand Hotel Xian were among the top hotels booked. Flight tickets increased 175% YOY, among which individual travel orders (meaning not part of tours) increased 137%. China United Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines and Qingdao Airlines are among the airlines providing special flight products for the Super Brand Day. Qingdao Airlines’ couple, three person packages all sold out within 22 minutes of launch, setting a new sales record.

As far as travel destinations are concerned, Sanya, Qingdao, Xiamen and other seaside destinations were in high demand, with orders increasing five times YOY. Sichuan and Yunnan and other spots popular for their cultural experiences saw an eight-time increase.

JD’s good deals on travel during the Singles Day sales period are helping consumers pull the trigger faster. Data shows that 29% of orders were completed within one minute. Additionally 63% of consumers were able to get their hands on various flash sales products.

Super Category Days are one-day shopping events designated to special discounts in a particular category. JD also holds Super Brand Days as well as other “Super” promotions throughout the year. JD Travel has much more in store for Singles Day, with this Super Category Day just being the start of festivities. On October 28^th, Lei Xu, JD Retail CEO and James Jianzhang Liang, co-founder and executive chairman of Trip.com, will jointly host a livestream event.

 

(ella@jd.com)

by Kelly Dawson

Pronounced “jiu” in Mandarin, the number nine is a homonym for a character indicating a “long and healthy life.” As such, China honors its elderly each year on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Lunar Calendar, on “Seniors’ Day.”

According to JD’s data, younger and middle-aged consumers began preparing gifts for their elderly loved ones weeks ahead of this year’s festival, which fell on October 25th. Searches spiked in descending order for mothers, fathers, mother-in-laws and father-in-laws.

The most common gifts for parents included coats, sweaters, leather shoes, down jackets and other warm, fashionable items. Mother-in-laws tended to receive slightly less functional gifts, including bracelets, scarves and necklaces. Father-in-laws received the least attention, but their gifts tended to be the most specific, with items including fishing rods, tea, baijiu alcohol and cigarettes.

JD’s data also indicated a spike in sales for other items in which “elderly” was mentioned in the product description, including shoes, bags, clothing and more. Mahogany furniture, most popular among elderly consumers, saw sales increase by 2.4 times year-on-year.

Additionally, the number of searches for devices related to leg and joint health, massage and health care for the elderly increased by five times in the weeks before the festival.

While elderly consumers (56 years -old and above) received their fair share of gifts for the festival, this particular demographic is also increasing its own purchasing share. Necessitated by the lockdowns during the height of the pandemic earlier this year, droves of elderly consumers began shopping online for the first time. In fact, the growth rate of new online shoppers has been highest among the elderly this year.

Now, even as life gradually returns to normal, many elderly shoppers continue to take advantage of the convenience and ease of purchasing online. According to JD’s data, the number of online consultation orders for elderly users increased by 233 times year-on-year.

Elderly consumers most commonly buy vegetables, fruit and meat online, but their consumption of nutritional and health products has also increased by 83%. Sales of fitness training products also increased by more than 100%.

Elderly consumers aren’t only buying items with their physical health in mind; their attention has also shifted to include products related to spiritual and educational nourishment. Sales of history books increased by 77% year-on-year among elderly shoppers; and the sales of photography and other hobby products to elderly shoppers increased by more than 50%. Their attention is also increasingly being diverted to their pet companions, with the number of orders for online pet products and services increasing by 2.1 times year-on-year.

They’re also enjoying a little self-pampering and self-care, with beauty product sales increasing by 87% among elderly shoppers. Jewelry and hair accessories saw an increase of 50% too.

Many are becoming more educated and aware of online trends related to consumer categories and brands. For example: In Beijing, Shanghai and Fujian, elderly consumers are most likely to buy celebrity-endorsed products.

 

(kellydawson@jd.com)

 

 

 

by Rachel Liu

JD’s 2020 Singles Day Grand Promotion officially began on October 21^st, and will last 22 days, till November 11^th. This time JD will bring over 200 million half-price products, over 300 million new products for customers. JD has taken a customer-centric approach to designing new marketing activities this year, making shopping more fun for consumers, and outreach more fruitful for brands.

Straight forward promotion

Consumers typically agonize about the sheer amount of math required to calculate the best deal.  Aiming to provide true benefits for customers, JD has made Singles Day promotion easy and straight forward. October 21^st to 31^st is the pre-sale period, and customers can pay a deposit first and enjoy discount and gifts. From November 1^st to 11^th, JD will provide allowance that customers can use across different categories and stores, which means customers don’t need to feel forced to buy multiple products from a single store in order to make the coupons work. Furthermore, the final price will be visible on the product page, helping consumers avoid complicated math problems.

This Singles Day, JD also launched the “Double 10 Billion Project”, which means RMB 10 billion yuan each of subsidies and shopping coupons provided by local governments.

Engaging and colorful games

This Singles Day JD has launched two new games for customers to earn “red envelopes” for shopping while having fun. Customers can also plant a tree in the virtual “JD Farm” and earn a box of real fruits by taking care of the tree. JD has prepared 5 million boxes of free fruits for customers, and customers have the chance to win a box of free fruit in as fast as one day. Additionally, customers can invite friends to share JD points, which can be used as money when they shop.

More livestreams

Livestream has proven to be a popular form of marketing, especially since the COVID-19 outbreak. For JD, livestreaming is not just a sales channel, but a place for brands to have deep and direct communications with customers. This Singles Day, JD will hold over 500 livestream shows in total. On November 10^th, JD will launch a “Super Livestream Night” with over 30 celebrities joining. Management team representative from brand partners will join JD for the livestreams. As the brands have a deep understanding of their brands and products, as well as customers’ needs, they can help customers select the most suitable products. During this 618, the livestream jointly held by Jun Liu, vice president of Lenovo and Xiaobing Yan, president of JD Electronics and Home Appliances, generated over RMB 100 million yuan in sales. JD will also invite local officials to do livestreams promoting local specialties from around the country.

“In the past over 10 years, we have been finding ways to provide new and fun experiences for customers during our grand promotions. COVID-19 brought many changes to everyone’s life, and during this Singles’ Day, we can help customers find the products they really need in a simple and happy way, and enjoy true benefits. We encourage customers to do thoughtful shopping, instead of getting lost in shopping,” said Simon Han, vice president of JD.com.

 

(liuchang61@jd.com)