The Forbidden City, also known as The Palace Museum in Beijing, has collaborated with JD.com, China’s largest retailer, to bring its “Chinese Festival” cultural program online for the first time, to welcome 2020 and the coming Year of the Rat.

As part of the promotion, an exquisite brocade box will be launched exclusively on JD.com as a giveaway on January 2. Consumers who make purchases during the promotion will have the chance to take home one of these special boxes.

Upon opening the box, a poem written by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty will appear, offering New Year wishes. The Chinese traditional lunch box inside is decorated with Qing dynasty peony patterns and nine auspicious beasts from the 600-year-old Forbidden City, symbolizing property and fortune. The nine auspicious beasts, Dragon, Phoenix, Deer, Crane, Elephant, Tortoise, Qilin, Lion and Xiezhi, also appear on a silk handkerchief, nine different red envelopes, and a drinking glass, all of which are in the brocade box.

A new scarf gift box will also be launched exclusively on the Palace Museum’s flagship store on JD. In addition, 16 domestic and international brands include Dove, Philips and Baidu will join the promotion and provide their own customized New Year gift boxes for sale to Chinese consumers.

To mark the collaboration, JD and the Forbidden City also released the following video in which the nine auspicious beasts offer their New Year wishes.

“As cultural products are increasingly popular among the younger generation, developing practical products that use traditional cultural elements has been a draw for museums and brands,” said Jing Li, Director of JD Brand Marketing. “The collaboration between JD and the Forbidden City gives traditional culture a modern energy, and helps brands to interact with younger customers and create new growth opportunities.”

In 2019, JD launched the “Bring Art to Life” campaign with partners of Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, as well as London’s National Gallery and the V&A Museum to produce an array of well-designed consumer products with brands incorporating elements of classic artworks from the museums’ collections.

On December 28, three days away from New Year’s Day 2020, the first batch of bighead carp of the season was fished out of the famous Chagan Lake in Jilin Province in Northeast China. As the first e-commerce company to partner with the Chagan Lake Fishery for six years, every year, JD.com sells 1/3 of the fishery’s bighead carp both through its online JD Fresh channel and offline 7FRESH supermarket chains, leveraging its cold chain network, and more recently blockchain to ensure this delicacy reaches dinner tables across China.

Known to locals as “White Holy Lake”, Chagan Lake is home to a rich fishing tradition that stretches back thousands of years. The 307-square-kilometer Chagan Lake is the only place in China to preserve the ancient practice of Mongolian fishing. As far back as the Liao and Jin dynasties (916-1234), emperors would lead a party of queens and concubines, and ministers to the lake from nearby capitals to go and catch the lake’s carp, and hold a fish banquet there.

Today, the tradition is preserved through the annual Chagan Lake Winter Fishing Festival, held every year in late December. In temperatures as low as -30°C, fishermen drill holes in the ice, harness their horses to enormous nets, and slowly pull up their catch, a process that can take eight to nine hours. In 2014, the tradition captured the interest of Chinese viewers when it was featured in “A Bite of China,” a popular documentary series by CCTV introducing Chinese food and related culture from all over China.

Despite the surge in interest in Chagan Lake’s carp that resulted from the program’s broadcast, most Chinese had very limited ways to acquire the delicacy before JD stepped in. At the time, the only existing supply chain option was for the fish to be transported from the lake to the nearby town of Songyuan, then to the city of Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province, about 600 km away, and only then to smaller regional centers. With so many intermediate links, the cost of distribution was high, and it was strenuous to get fresh fish outside of the northeastern provinces.

Shortly after the “A Bite of China” episode aired, JD signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chagan Lake Fisheries, becoming the first e-commerce platform to partner with the fishery. JD has streamlined the distribution process by deploying its own cold chain logistics directly to the lake shore, where temperature-controlled transportation vehicles are loaded up with freshly caught carp, which are now delivered to tables in more than 300 cities across China in as fast as in 24 hours after the fish is caught.

As the fame of the fish has risen over the years, a large amount of fake Chagan Lake fish has been popping up on in the market. To give consumers confidence, JD will for the first time apply blockchain technology to guarantee the authenticity of Chagan Lake carp this year. By scanning the unique blockchain ID of each fish, customers are able to find out production and transportation details such as the origin, qualification and even the fisherman’s name.

“JD’s partnership with Chagan Lake Fisheries demonstrates the raw potential of our self-built nationwide logistics network: fulfilling the wishes of Chinese consumers by giving them access to options that were previously unavailable to them,” said Jie Wang, key projects lead, fresh food sourcing, JD.com. “The partnership also lends a helping to hand to Chagan Lake local residents, increasing fish sales, raising their brand profile and promoting the continuation of their ancient Chagan Lake winter traditions.”

Yan Laisuo, director of Chagan Lake Fisheries, said that the fishery insisted on exclusive cooperation with JD because of its superior logistics and e-commerce capabilities: “We appreciate how JD’s strictly controlled cold-chain logistics network preserves the integrity of our delicious Chagan Lake bighead carp as it is distributed to consumers throughout all corners of the country,” he said. “This ensures that the traditions of Chagan Lake stay intact and that more people can appreciate this bountiful natural resource and be inspired to visit us one day.”

JD.com has just launched the first of its SEVEN FUN lifestyle spaces in Beijing. The new concept, which is one of a kind in China, pioneers a unique combination of dining + drinking + social. Offering breakfast from sunrise, drinks into the late night and lunch, afternoon tea, snacks and even daily groceries in between, SEVEN FUN caters to all needs of busy professionals, serving as a third place, after home and the office.

Located in Galaxy SOHO on the second ring road of Beijing, SEVEN FUN is designed specifically to cater to working professionals aged between 26 to 45 in first tier cities, providing not just a space but a lifestyle.

As global consumers are shifting from going to the store to buy products to going to the store to experience products and buy services, delivering experiences has been essential for retailers to attract and retain consumers. This was some of the thinking behind SEVEN FUN. With an area of around 1,000 square meters (approximately 10,000 sq.ft), SEVEN FUN is a destination offering networking and fun, rather than purely a destination to make a purchase.

The inaugural SEVEN FUN in Galaxy SOHO offers more than 3,500 different products such as fresh food, baked goods, fresh flowers, and groceries. It also features 12 selected eateries selling international delicacies, including three bars offering wine, Japanese sake and craft beer. In addition to providing mealtime solutions to the approximately 200,000 working professionals within a one km radius of the space, SEVEN FUN also serves as a gathering place that offers band performances, themed parties and more. It can even be rented out to serve as a socializing or networking space for personal or corporate events.

The alcohol selection at SEVEN FUN is much more extensive than your average bar, with more than 300 different types of sake and over 1,000 craft beers sourced via 7FRESH’s supply chain offered over the course of a year annually at SEVEN FUN, making it the best place in Beijing for quality liquor. Professional sommeliers are also available to guide consumers through an experience commensurate with what might be expected in a five-star hotel, but at an affordable price.

“As a lifestyle retailer, SEVEN FUN is innovating the retail landscape in China,” said Jonathan Wang, Head of 7FRESH, JD.com. “Through this concept, JD.com provides an unprecedented “SOLOMOME” (social, local, mobile and personalized) offline experience that serves as a pioneering model for future brick-and-mortar stores.”

As a brand under JD’s 7FRESH, SEVEN FUN offers a comprehensive omnichannel solution. Consumers can order anything in the store from the 7FRESH app to be delivered to their doorstep.

Future expansion of SEVEN FUN is expected to focus on tier-one cities, targeting working professionals with annual income of over RMB 100,000. It also adopts a partner model that encourages the core team of SEVEN FUN to become store partners. The ultimate goal of 7FRESH, the recently launched the 7FRESH LIFE community shop, and now SEVEN FUN, remains to deliver the best shopping experience for all kinds of consumers.

JD.com recently launched the “My Pet Profile Initiative” for its customers to receive recommendations for pet products and services.

This is a new function where customers can store detailed profiles of their pets online, including breed, age, gender, vaccination history, and more. JD’s big data and analytics capabilities will enable customers to get ongoing updates of suitable products, services and care instructions. This initiative was inspired by data showing that Chinese pet owners are willing to devote more money, time, and energy in choosing the right products and services for their beloved pets. The 2019 China Pet Products Consumption Report recently released by JD and Nielsen shows that Chinese pet owners are now more engaged with their animals and more interested in improving their pets’ health and longevity.

To improve their pets’ health, happiness, and quality of life, owners are willing to pay more for premium pet products that they know are nutritious and safe, even if they have to be imported. In fact, according to JD data, in 2018 the year-on-year sales increase of imported pet brands was 118% higher than that of domestic brands. Services related to pets are also on the rise, such as grooming and medical care.

For JD’s brand partners, the My Pet Profile Initiative offers new insights about the pets themselves, not just their owners. With this information, brands can improve their product specifications and target marketing campaigns to specific pet demographics, for example showing cat food formulated for senior felines to those customers with older cats. Nestlé Purina’s Pro Plan brand piloted the initiative recently, and saw their click rate quickly double among customers who received targeted recommendations.

Currently applicable only to cats and dogs, China’s most popular domestic pets, the initiative could be expanded to offer tailored information about other pets, such as aquatic creatures.

“By providing insights not only on pet owners, but for the first time also on their pets, JD has taken us to the next step,” said Zoe Zuo, Marketing Director, Nestlé Purina. “The My Pet Profile Initiative represents an expanding database of growing importance for us because it helps us improve our products and strategies. We will leverage these insights to recommend products to customers with more precision, helping ensure our customers have longer and happier relationships with their beloved pets.”

“JD is always looking for ways to better serve our customers and brand partners through our big-data and analytics capability,” said Tianyang Fan, head of pet products for JD Fast Moving Consumer Goods. “This initiative does that by providing a better shopping experience for pet owners, while also serving brand partners who are looking to improve their products and marketing solutions based on consumer insights.”

Apart from being a trusted advisor for pet owners, JD also strives to become their one-stop destination for pet-related information and the types of high-quality pet products that are increasingly welcomed by Chinese consumers. During this past Singles Day shopping festival, high-end and smart pet products were highly popular. In the first hour on Nov. 11, sales of smart pet products increased 69 times compared with the same period last year, and during the Nov. 1-11 festival sales period, sales of high-end imported pet food brand Petcurean Go! increased 23 times year-on-year.

JD.com’s 7FRESH fresh food chain supermarket 7FRESH LIFE opened on December 20 in Beijing. 7FRESH LIFE is a 24/7 store offering mealtime solutions within an area between 300 to 400 square meters.

The newly opened 7FRESH LIFE is located in the Huilongguan residential area in Northern Beijing – one of the largest residential neighborhoods in Asia. Serving as a warm caring neighbor especially for young mothers and kitchen owners, 7FRESH LIFE is a combination of community “restaurant + fresh food store + convenience store” providing more than 3,000 different selected quality fresh items of produce, daily groceries and also ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat food, equipped with an in-store dining area. Parents will find quality fresh ingredients in 7FRESH LIFE for cooking a healthy meal for their children; busy working professionals will also find nutritious prepared food.

As a leader in omnichannel retail, 7FRESH also provides a location-based online channel through its app for consumers to buy from the community shop anytime and have items delivered to their doorstep as fast as in 30 minutes from the time of order. The home delivery service now covers a 1.5 km radius including 38 surrounding communities and three office areas, reaching 50,000 families and 1,000 office professionals in total. 7FRESH LIFE employs JD.com’s massive online offerings. In addition to the items offered in-store, a large number of products from JD.com’s e-commerce platform can be ordered through 7FRESH LIFE’s online channel, such as seasonal, large-size, beauty and baby and maternal products. It also provides comprehensive convenient value-added services such as power bank rental, 24-hour parcel pick-up lockers, bill payment, top up, courier and dry cleaning service, among others.

“With JD’s deep understanding of consumers and our strong supply chain providing global and local fresh produce and mealtime solutions, 7FRESH has become a trusted source for consumers buying fresh food offline,” said Jonathan Wang, Head of 7FRESH, JD.com. “7FRESH LIFE will better serve the diverse and unique needs of Chinese families, providing for each person at any time for any need, online or offline.”

7FRESH will open its services for industry partners to leverage its supply chain, IT and omnichannel capabilities, collaborating with traditional players to redefine the offline grocery market to satisfy the changing, fragmented and personalized needs of consumers.

Launched in January 2018, JD.com’s 7FRESH supermarket chain has proved itself a hit among Chinese consumers with nearly 20 stores opened in major cities such as Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Guangzhou. As one of JD.com’s key omnichannel retail offerings, 7FRESH provides a seamless online ordering and offline shopping experience and redefines the brick-and-mortar grocery store.

JD.com and Lenovo plan to sell RMB 10 billion in enterprise products in the next three years. As part of a strategic partnership between the two companies, Lenovo will offer its full line products for enterprise clients via JD’s enterprise procurement platform. The two parties will also launch a Business-to-Manufacturer (B2M) platform to provide enterprise clients with customized products and services.

With C2M being the hottest term of the past year, getting the insights to truly understand consumers has been invaluable to many retailers and manufacturers. The innate differences among enterprises also pose great challenges for the B2B industry, and customized products present a huge unmet opportunity. JD and Lenovo’s B2M platform will enable enterprise clients on JD to submit individual needs, based on which Lenovo will design and manufacture customized products accordingly.

Leveraging JD.com’s professional online procurement channel, JD Business, and vast logistics network, customization will no longer only available to large companies with abundant resources. Small-to-medium sized companies, which account for more than 90% of the market in China, will also be able to enjoy the service through the B2M initiative.

JD.com and Lenovo are long-time partners, and are already providing joint customer service covering delivery and installation, hardware maintenance, equipment repairing and replacement, and IT support. The two companies will take a step further to upgrade its supply chain and smart services collaboration. Lenovo’s over 2,000 service stations in more than 900 cities, and its smart service system will join JD’s service system, in order to provide leading customer service to enterprise clients nationwide.

“JD.com is one of Lenovo’s most important retail partners in China. We have maintained a deep strategic cooperation for years,” said Zheng Liu, General Manager of Lenovo Enterprise Products. “The launch of the B2M platform is an important milestone for the enterprise procurement industry, and it will further take the industry to a new level.”

“The digital transformation has greatly impacted the enterprise procurement sector. As China’s largest retailer, JD.com is committed to efforts to streamline the procurement process for enterprises of all sizes,” said Chunzheng Song, President of JD Business. “The partnership with Lenovo provides a pioneering solution, and we expect to leverage JD’s big data ability to continuously improve the customization for the traditional enterprise procurement sector.”

JD.com has more than seven million enterprise clients on its platform. Its enterprise procurement business JD Business aims to help 100 suppliers surpass RMB 1 billion in sales in 2020 and bring together 200 technical partners and 20,000 enterprise service partners on its platform.

Just in time for the Christmas season, consumers on JD.com, China’s largest retailer online or offline, will be able to get their hands on the Limited Edition Pitera™ Essence. The Limited Edition Pitera™ Essence will available on JD.com starting December 15^th through the end of the year.

This is not the first time SK-II has selected JD as a destination for its new product launches. In fact, the globally prestigious skincare brand has been doing so during holiday seasons since its flagship store first opened on JD in 2015. Earlier this year, JD.com created a new concept for holiday gifting and also initiated a related new marketing campaign to fulfill consumers’ gifting consumption demands during holidays such as New Year, Valentine’s Day, Chinese Valentine’s Day (July 7 of the lunar calendar), and May 20, which is considered Chinese Internet Valentine’s day because “520” in Mandarin sounds like “I love you”. Consumers rely on JD for their gifting needs because they trust JD.com’s product quality and delivery speed. Leveraging its technology strengths and big data capabilities, JD provides user engagement tools for brands to help them reach out to consumers more precisely and attract new consumers via games during holiday sales seasons.

One of the top priorities for gift givers is ensuring that the gift reaches the recipient in time. Leveraging the overall strength of its nationwide logistics network, JD offers a white glove delivery service, JD Luxury Express, which further enhances the standard delivery experience, as a value-added service, providing some offline glamor and intimacy to the online e-commerce experience. As of November 1^st, the number of followers of SK-II flagship store on JD.com had surpassed 10 million, making its online store on JD the largest of all of its online stores.

“JD.com is a longtime trusted partner of ours in the Chinese market. We are excited to further our collaboration by having our Limited Edition Pitera™ Essence featuring Mickey Mouse launch on JD.com.” said Iris Xuan, SK-II Global Sales and Commercial Leader

“With this product release with SK-II, we hope to delight and surprise consumers, providing them the high-quality service they are used to receiving from us.” said Terry Wang, General Manager of JD Beauty. “As the most-trusted e-commerce platform by Chinese consumers, JD has become an ideal partner for the world’s top beauty brands,” said Terry, “JD is laser focused on bringing high-quality products to consumers, and helping brands better access and understand their consumers in the Chinese market.”

In this first ever collaboration with Disney, SK-II brings together the beloved True Original Mickey Mouse – one of the most recognizable pop culture icons of all time and PITERA™ Essence – SK-II’s signature Facial Treatment Essence that has been essentially unchanged for 39 years to celebrate the Year of the Mouse.