JD.com Expands Philanthropic Commitments with Program for Children with Developmental Disabilities

Posted on by Rachel Liu

JD.com has launched a new charity program that benefits children with developmental disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome. The new initiative, called “Creating Happiness Together”, will raise money for World of Art Brut Culture (WABC), a Shanghai NGO devoted to supporting special needs individuals through creative art therapy treatment.

As part of the program, JD.com will unveil and promote a new page on its site featuring some 300 popular items, such as computers and consumer electronics, from 50 top brands, including Xiaomi, JBL, and deli, among others. A portion of the proceeds from every purchase on the new page will go to WABC.

Ahead of the program’s launch, JD encouraged the children supported by WABC to submit paintings. JD will feature this artwork on 100,000 of its delivery packages. From November 1-3, JD’s customers in northern China who order qualifying products will have the chance to receive their orders in the special packaging.

 

Ahead of the program’s launch, JD encouraged the children supported by WABC to submit paintings.Painting by Xiao Long

 

JD will also organize an exhibition in Beijing where the children’s artwork will be on display. The company will actively promote the program’s online and offline activities through both WeChat and Weibo, tapping into China’s vast population of social media users to raise greater awareness. JD has launched an HTML5 page featuring the children’s paintings in black and white where customers can add colors of their choice to complete a piece of artwork.

“From the very beginning, JD.com has been committed to leveraging its success to give back to society and help those in need,” said Libo Ma, head of CSR at JD.com and general secretary of the company’s charity affiliate, JD Foundation. “This innovative program that both supports the artistic development of kids with special needs and brings smiles to customers lucky enough to get one of the packages with a unique work of art, is a wonderful new addition to JD’s many philanthropic commitments.”

“JBL has always been dedicated to using our resources to support groups in need in the community,” said Raymond Jiang, Director of E-Commerce of JBL. “Thanks to its huge influence across both Chinese consumers and businesses, JD.com is our ideal partner for driving this new charitable endeavor to success. We look forward to working closely with them to bring happiness into the lives of more young people.”

JD is dedicated to working with its partners to support children and groups in need. Just last month, JD and L’Oréal China launched a new activity center for employees with disabilities as part of the companies’ “Inclusive Beauty” training and employment program. Since announcing the program, JD has worked with L’Oréal and the China Foundation for Disabled Persons (CFDP) to offer dozens of jobs and professional training to people with disabilities in China.

JD.com, NJIT and ISCAS Announce New Blockchain Research Lab

Posted on by Rachel Liu

JD.com, China’s largest retailer online or offline, has launched a joint research lab for blockchain technologies with the Ying Wu College of Computing at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and the Institute of Software at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISCAS).

The joint lab, which was announced at a launch event in Beijing, will focus on solving efficiency and stability challenges that are the most significant bottlenecks restricting the wider application of blockchain, and explore new applications of the technology. This will include multi-year collaborative research efforts into fundamental consensus protocols, privacy protection and security in decentralized applications, among other areas.

The new lab will be led by Dr. Jian Pei, President of JD Big Data and Smart Supply Chain, Dr. Qiang Tang, Assistant Professor in the Ying Wu College of Computing at NJIT, and Dr. Zhenfeng Zhang, Vice Chief Engineer at ISCAS. Both Dr. Tang and Dr. Zhang are leading experts in blockchain and cryptography.

“JD.com is a pioneer in the utilization of blockchain technology, and we are dedicated to exploring its potential by investing in the growth of the blockchain ecosystem through key strategic and research partnerships,” Dr. Pei said. “Our partnership with NJIT and ISCAS will leverage our respective strengths and resources to drive the continued development of this cutting-edge technology and its wider deployment across many industries.”

“With more than 300 million customers, JD.com recognizes the pivotal role being played by blockchain in improving transparency in the supply chain and delivering greater peace of mind to Chinese consumers about product quality and safety,” he said.

Dr. Joel S. Bloom, president of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, said, “NJIT is delighted to partner with one the leading e-commerce companies in the world and one of China’s premier research labs to work on cutting edge-blockchain and cybersecurity technologies.

“Working with strong international partners is a clear recipe for success in this endeavor. We look forward to working with JD and ISCAS to develop many different blockchain applications for a wide range of industries,” he said.

Zhong Hua, deputy director of the Software Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said “Through this partnership we will bring about blockchain innovation and promote industrial applications of blockchain technology.”

In August, JD launched the JD Blockchain Open Platform to help enterprise customers easily build, host, and use their own blockchain applications for more secure, transparent, and convenient operations management. The new platform enables customers to streamline their operational procedures and provide more visibility to consumers. In addition, JD has partnered with Walmart, IBM, and Tsinghua University to launch the Blockchain Food Safety Alliance which focuses on enhancing food traceability, and safety in China.

JD.com Supply Chain Technology is Modernizing Commerce Throughout China

Posted on by Ling Cao

Small and medium-sized businesses across China are upgrading their supply chains with the JD Cloud Warehouse Management Solution, a smart, cloud-based supply chain management solution developed by e-commerce giant JD.com.

Officially launched last December, the solution is a new initiative that uses the e-commerce giant’s proprietary technology and supply chain expertise to holistically upgrade existing warehouse management systems.

The initiative enables businesses of any size to increase numbers of orders and customers, while improving efficiency.

Part of JD’s Retail as a Service (RaaS) strategy, which opens the company’s technology and infrastructure to other companies and industries, the system also helps companies lease underutilized warehouse space to third-parties, which maximizes use of real estate while making the entire logistics industry more efficient. Partners can benefit from co-branding with JD, and have the option to use JD’s ultra-efficient delivery service, with products marked as “Delivered by JD Logistics” on JD’s e-commerce website.

The solution was originally designed to power JD’s own nationwide logistics network, which can deliver over 90% of orders same- or next-day. Using JD’s smart supply chain open solution for merchants, the initiative leverages big data to help partners accurately predict inventory demand and supply, and to organize warehouse layouts for maximum efficiency. JD also provides training programs to partners’ employees to help improve operational and assessment standards.

“The JD Cloud Warehouse Management Solution shows how JD’s Retail as a Service strategy can help build more sustainable businesses while improving services for consumers everywhere,” said Yaodong Jiang, who leads the program at JD Logistics. “With our nationwide network and understanding of the warehousing industry, we can improve the efficiency of warehousing across multiple regions and businesses by leveraging and sharing our technology.”

As of now, over hundreds of partner warehouses are using JD’s solution, largely in China’s third or fourth tier cities. One partner, e-commerce fulfillment service provider Juzi, who is focused on small appliances, daily needs, cosmetics and baby and maternal, upgraded its existing warehouse in Guangdong province with JD’s solution in April, and saw orders increase by 400% while its portfolio of brands more than tripled. Meanwhile Zhongshang, a warehouse operator based in Sichuan, was able to expand its facilities to 400,000 storage units in six months, having already attracted two business customers and fulfilling over 8,000 daily orders using the solution.

“Upgrading our facility to the JD Cloud Warehouse Management Solution has had a transformative effect on our business,” said Jiechun Huang, General Manager of Juzi. “The program gives us access to years of experience in nationwide supply chain management that we didn’t have the means of realizing on our own. The improvement we have seen in our business results speaks for itself.”

What is Global Smart Supply Chain?

Posted on by Ling Cao

Global commerce is undergoing one of the biggest evolutions we have ever seen—one driven by technology. We are making and moving products at unprecedented speeds, straining traditional supply chains built for a slower pace in a different, more predictable world.

At JD.com, China’s largest retailer, online or offline, we sit in between the ever-more demanding consumer and the companies that produce the products and services that matter to them most. We believe the only way to keep up with such monumental changes is to rethink our supply chains, and build them to be smarter, more interconnected, more flexible and more global.

JD, which serves over 300 million customers, is a technology company at its core and accomplishes this for our own e-commerce business through a wide range of innovative planning, advanced technologies, partnerships and integrated solutions.

Collectively we call it Global Smart Supply Chain, or GSSC, and believe we can apply it to more scenarios in the future. We want to build out the future of commerce by helping other companies and industries discover more efficiencies.

Together with our partners, we believe technology and GSSC principles can reduce logistics costs to just a fraction of what they are today, across all industries.  As we expand our international logistics network, we want to connect the world by achieving two-day shipping from China to other countries, and vice versa. We also want to achieve 48-hour local delivery in several regions around the world.

At this year’s GSSC summit, held last week in Beijing, we were excited to unveil some of our latest initiatives which are only a few examples of the amazing things a company can accomplish when taking this approach to supply chains. We’ve greatly expanded our programs to offer fulfillment and transportation solutions to shippers including Unilever and Mead Johnson. We now offer a cloud-based warehouse management solution that can be used for warehouses of any size or level of development, so other retailers, vendors and logistics companies can easily upgrade their facilities, better manage inventory, and maximize use of their warehouse space.

We’ve become the first-ever retailer, online or offline, to launch a parcel delivery service serving residential and business addresses. JD operates China’s most advanced and far-reaching in-house logistics network and, thanks to proprietary supply chain management technology, is capable of delivering over 90% of JD.com orders on the same or next day. In the future, we want to deliver parcels to millions of families in China with the safest, most convenient and wide ranging service possible. We do scheduled deliveries and luxury white glove deliveries for our e-commerce customers. It was a natural next step for us to open this infrastructure and technology to other shippers.

We also announced a brand new research facility, through which we are engaging in top level design of logistics networks for smart cities. This includes our exploration of underground logistics systems, which will reduce pollution and congestion, while providing a logistics service that is smooth and efficient with minimal disruption to daily life.

And last, but definitely not least, we continued the expansion of our Green Stream Initiative to make our supply chain more eco-friendly. We’ve designed reusable packaging, which consumers can opt into in exchange for coupons and rewards. If just 10% of orders use the new packaging, we estimate JD can save 32.5 billion RMB a year, another example of how working for a better planet can also benefit the bottom line.

A decade ago, few would have thought that a retailer, much less an online retailer, could provide the backbone for the future of commerce. The retail business was traditionally about buying and selling products, and its supply chain was simply a cost center that needed to be controlled. But under the principles of GSSC, JD.com sees its supply chain as a core asset, not only for business, but for the overall modernization and improvement of society.

JD.com Partners with Top Watch Retailer Xinyu Group

Posted on by Rachel Liu

JD.com, China’s largest retailer, has formed a strategic partnership with international watch retailer, Xinyu Group, to give Chinese consumers a new way to experience and purchase the world’s best timepieces.

The companies will cooperate on product sales, after-sales service and business development, including special “Boundaryless Retail” shopping experiences designed for JD’s over 300 million customers.

Under the partnership, master watchmakers from Xinyu will work directly at JD’s warehouses in regions such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu to provide premium after-sales service for JD customers. The program will enable faster in-house watch repair and maintenance for consumers, reducing average handling time by weeks so customers can have their watches returned as quickly as possible. JD has already cooperated with 60 of Xinyu’s offline stores to provide after-sales service, with the goal of expanding the cooperation to more stores in the future.

“We are honored to join forces with Xinyu Group and bring more of their leading global watch brands to China’s style-conscious consumers,” said Belinda Chen, General Manager of JD Watch. “The partnership further builds out JD’s vision of “Boundaryless Retail” – the idea that consumers should be able to buy whatever they want, wherever and whenever they want it. We are particularly excited about the unmatched after-sales service being provided to customers through our cooperation with Xinyu.”

“Xinyu’s international watch brands have been warmly received by Chinese consumers,” said Yu Ping Cheung, Chairman of Xinyu Group. “With a unique ability to offer innovative combinations of online and offline shopping experiences, JD.com is the perfect partner for us to provide even more of our exceptional timepieces across China. We look forward to continuing deepening our cooperation with them in the years to come.”

JD.com Launches New Reusable Package Initiative

Posted on by Ling Cao

JD.com is expanding its eco-friendly packaging program to include customers, part of the company’s ongoing efforts to promote sustainable consumption.

Under the new program, JD.com’s customers can have thousands of products delivered in reusable packaging for small and medium-sized parcels, making e-commerce more environmentally friendly and reducing costs.

JD estimates the program can save 32.5 million RMB per year if 10% of orders use the new packaging.

Offered for free, the service allows JD’s customers to easily select whether they want to use reusable packaging on the billing page. Those opting to do so will return the packaging – a “green box” that can be used approximately 10 times – to delivery personnel after receiving their order. Customers who choose the packaging are rewarded with JD’s “Jingdou” loyalty points, which can be exchanged for products on JD.com. All small and medium-sized parcels can use the recycled packaging, including jewelry, cellphones, watches, makeup and skincare products, with the exception of fresh food.

The service, which kicked off in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, will expand to Chengdu and five other cities by the end of this month. By the end of 2018, JD will provide recycled packaging as an option in 20 cities.

“JD.com is always exploring ways to reduce e-commerce waste through green logistics,” said Bing Fu, Head of Planning and Development, JD Logistics. “By using this green packaging, and taking part in our other innovative recycling programs, JD’s customers can enjoy the convenience of e-commerce while knowing that their purchases have involved minimal carbon emissions.”

JD has long been dedicated to taking a green approach to logistics across industries. Last year, JD Logistics unveiled the Green Stream Initiative, JD’s largest environmental project, to promote the use of sustainable packaging materials and reduce the environmental impact of the entire supply chain. By deploying green boxes, JD expects to reduce the number of boxes used throughout the supply chain by 10 billion by 2020. The company has also set the target for 80% of packaging materials to be recyclable, over 50% of plastic packages to be replaced by biodegradable material, and 100% of logistics packaging to be composed of recyclable or reusable materials.

Meanwhile, JD introduced a fleet of hydrogen energy delivery trucks to greater Shanghai earlier this year, marking the first significant commercial deployment of hydrogen-powered vehicles for logistics in China as well as the latest expansion of JD’s goal to make the ‘last mile’ of the distribution process carbon-free. In early June, the company unveiled a fleet of 50 solar-powered delivery vehicles in Beijing.

Gieves & Hawkes Opens Official Flagship Store on JD.com

Posted on by Rachel Liu

Renowned British bespoke menswear brand Gieves & Hawkes has become the fourth brand from the Ruyi-owned Trinity Group to open an official flagship store on JD.com.

Headquartered at No. 1 Savile Row, Gieves & Hawkes is iconic in the world of men’s tailoring, having dressed royalty from George V to Prince William. The brand’s debut on JD.com allows Chinese consumers access to the brand’s high level of service and detail with convenience that can only be provided by JD’s nationwide logistics network and luxury delivery service.

Gieves & Hawkes has become the fourth brand from the Ruyi-owned Trinity Group to open an official flagship store on JD.com.Gieves & Hawkes is a member company of Ruyi’s Trinity Group, a leading menswear group based in Hong Kong. JD recently entered into a wide-ranging strategic agreement with Ruyi, which included a series of initiatives in fashion tech and joint sponsorship of the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund.

“We are delighted to welcome Gieves & Hawkes to the growing family of leading international brands partnering with JD to address the growing market for luxury goods in China,” said Victor Hu, President of JD Fashion and Lifestyle. “Trinity’s collection of brands is consistently excellent in quality, and the opening of the Gieves & Hawkes flagship store is sure to be a hit with JD’s discerning users.”

Other Trinity brands that have joined JD include D’URBAN, an elegant Japanese men’s business and leisurewear brand; Cerruti 1881, a chic Italian men’s style label; and Kent & Curwen, a quintessentially British menswear brand in partnership with David Beckham. JD and Trinity Group will celebrate their partnership with a “Trinity Group Brand Day” on Oct. 19, featuring offline promotional events and online discounts for Trinity brands on JD.com.

“JD.com’s dedication to providing superior service and authentic, luxury goods to its customers makes it the perfect partner,”

“JD.com’s dedication to providing superior service and authentic, luxury goods to its customers makes it the perfect partner,” said Aubrey Wong, Senior Vice President of Retail (China) at Trinity Group. “There is incredible history behind the Gieves & Hawkes brand, and the unique opportunity to reflect this in the design of our online presence in China is very exciting.”

“A timeless brand, the exquisite nature of Gieves & Hawkes’ tailoring and men’s garments represents a drive for quality that is shared by both Ruyi and JD.com,” said Qiang Cui, Vice President of Ruyi International Group. “JD’s experience in marketing international brands to China’s most stylish consumers makes it the perfect partner in Ruyi’s mission to cement our place as a world-leading fashion group with the most recognizable brands.”

JD.com Launches New Institute for Smart Logistics in Urban Areas

Posted on by Yuchuan Wang

JD.com is launching a new research center in Xiongan, China, dedicated to developing futuristic automation technology for urban logistics in smart cities in China.

Announced at JD Logistics’ 2018 Global Smart Supply Chain Summit in Beijing on October 18, the Urban Smart Logistics Institute will focus on planning for urban logistics hubs, top-level design for urban logistics systems, big data and cloud computing platforms for logistics and more. Founding members of the institute include Nankai University, the Institute of Comprehensive Transportation at the National Development and Reform Commission, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing Wuzi University, Shanghai Maritime University, Sinotrans & CSC and Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute.

Research shows that freight vehicles have an outsized contribution to urban traffic emissions, and can take up as much as a third of road capacity. With urbanization in China causing intense changes to the environment, creating pollution and causing other disruption to people’s lives, the primary goal of the institute is to design the framework for logistics in urban spaces to be more efficient and environmentally friendly.

The institute will look first at underground logistics systems, making use of subterranean tracks and integrated municipal pipe corridors. This can help preserve open, convenient and aesthetically pleasing aboveground space that would otherwise be occupied by traditional logistics systems, ensuring smooth and efficient urban logistics with minimal disruption to daily life.

JD.com is launching a new research center in Xiongan, China,

“The most effective smart cities are the ones that make best use of all available space and resources,” said Director of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Chen Xiangsheng at the Institute’s launch event during the 2018 Global Smart Supply Chain Summit in Beijing. “The use of underground space to build three-dimensional smart logistics system is an industry game-changer. It will alleviate traffic problems, environmental problems, and save urban space.”

JD.com, China’s largest retailer, is the only large-scale e-commerce company in the world to operate a nationwide in-house logistics network that can deliver to customers’ doorsteps. The company operates the world’s first fully-automated fulfillment center, and is the first e-commerce company to commercially launch drone deliveries. A leader in smart logistics and automation, the company believes there are many potential benefits to be explored in new propulsion technologies, which promise higher speed, faster acceleration and lower energy usage, at lower operating costs.

“As China’s cities are developing faster and becoming more sophisticated, sustainable urban development is critical. Smart logistics ensures that space in cities is being used in the most efficient and least disruptive way possible,” said Zhenhui Wang, CEO of JD Logistics. “We are committed to revolutionizing global commerce, and society more broadly, and it is an honor for us to join together with other leading ecosystem players to establish the Urban Smart Logistics Institute.”