Exclusive G-Star RAW (x) JDX Jeans Sell Out in Three Minutes

Posted on by Ling Cao

JDX, JD.com’s crossover fashion project, is making a push into sustainable fashion, reinforcing its overall commitment to sustainable retail. With its June 18 anniversary just around the corner, the e-commerce giant has teamed up with popular Dutch denim label G-Star RAW to launch a limited-edition pair of sustainably produced jeans on JD.com. Only 50 pairs of the jeans will be available – and each pair comes packaged with G-Star RAW (x) JDX T-shirt and canvas bag, as well as G-Star RAW Bluetooth speakers. The jeans went on sale at midnight today and sold out in three minutes.

With environmentally friendly fashion becoming increasingly popular globally, the JDX and G-Star RAW crossover project seeks to address the waste of resources typically involved in producing jeans. From cotton production to the washing process, a normal pair of jeans will consume more than 3,480 liters of water throughout its lifetime, with over 2,500 different chemicals used for dyeing and processing.

By minimizing water waste and pollution at every step of the manufacturing process, the G-Star RAW (x) JDX jeans project seeks to provide a new model for sustainably produced denim. The jeans, which boast a unique “patch panel” design, were awarded gold star certification by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, an international institute that focuses on certifying environmentally friendly designs.

Rachel Jiang, G-Star RAW’s general manager of Asia Pacific said, “As a leading international denim brand since 1989, G-Star RAW is thrilled to be working on this important project with JD.com, China’s largest online retailer. By combining our unique, youthful designs with future-looking sustainable production methods, we believe this partnership with JDX will set an important precedent for the future of sustainable fashion and online retail.”

“G-Star RAW is an ideal partner for our first sustainable fashion collaboration,” said Cici Chen, general manager of JD Fashion Designer Services Department. “Responsible and environmentally friendly business is top of mind for us, and we’re delighted to work with a partner who shares our vision. This collaboration combines the best of unique street style and environmental consciousness and is sure to resonate with our shoppers.”

The limited edition G-Star RAW (x) JDX jeans package will include an environmentally friendly canvas bag. The bag is made of recycled cotton cloth printed with food-grade soy ink, making it entirely biodegradable and recyclable. With the use of these environmentally friendly fabrics, consumers can know their purchase has involved minimal carbon emissions, thus contributing to cleaner air, water and soil.

JD Partners with Mead Johnson on Market Strategy for Emerging Urban Areas

Posted on by Yuchuan Wang

JD.com has partnered with the world’s leading international pediatric nutrition company, Mead Johnson, on a new market development strategy to bring a wide range of infant formulas to consumers in the nation’s emerging urban areas. A response to the shift in consumption habits of Chinese consumers for maternal and baby products to focus on product quality, the new collaboration announced today will make it even easier for maternal and baby store owners in China’s growing smaller cities to supply their consumers with high-quality infant formula from Mead Johnson Nutrition’s world-leading brands.

To facilitate this partnership, JD has developed an easy-to-use mobile internet program through which store owners can place orders for Mead Johnson products. Maternal and baby goods will be delivered within 48 hours directly from JD’s warehouses via the company’s in-house nationwide logistics network. The vertical integration will significantly shorten the delivery lead time and help store owners better manage their inventory. In addition to making it easier for brands to supply their stores, Mead Johnson can analyze the data from the platform to better understand consumption trends for their products and ultimately their end consumers, long a challenge for traditional chain stores. Mead Johnson will also be able to leverage the platform to engage in direct marketing activities and offer shop owners coupons and special promotions.

“With the help of JD’s innovative smart supply chain and in-house logistics resources, a greater number of consumers in China’s emerging urban areas will have more reliable access to our high-quality products,” said Enda Ryan, CEO of Greater China of Mead Johnson. “This cooperation will also help us gain a better understanding of the needs and behaviors of our consumers throughout China.”

“This is a great opportunity for us to deepen our cooperation with Mead Johnson,” said Xiaosong Wang, President of JD Fast Moving Consumer Goods and Foods. “Leveraging our resources to bring high-quality brands like the Mead Johnson family of products to consumers across China is at the heart of our Retail as a Service vision. With growing demand for these products as Chinese parents are having more children, we look forward to deploying the full range of JD’s strengths in technology, marketing and logistics to help our partners meet this demand.”

Going forward, JD will work on providing partnering offline stores with a powerful and convenient inventory management system, while Mead Johnson will ramp up its presence in China’s emerging urban areas by employing professional promoters to help local store owners make the most of the partnership.

JD.com’s AI Writing Robot Improves Online Shopping Content

Posted on by Yuchuan Wang

One of E-commerce giant JD.com’s most productive employees is a prolific writer who can create product descriptions and tailored shopping guides in mere seconds. And he’s not human.

Powered by AI-based natural language generation (NLG) technology, JD’s writing robot Li Bai draws on the company’s massive trove of customer reviews and content from the internet to generate product descriptions and tailored shopping guides. He can generate more than a thousand pieces of content per day for JD’s app.

If Li Bai’s descriptions read as if they were written by an individual who has personally tested the products, it’s because they are the result of the collective knowledge of JD customers. His description for a pair of Adidas shoes, for example, reads:

These shoes have highly wear-resistant soles and are made of breathable material for a cool and comfortable fit even in the most sultry weather, allowing you extra energy on the field. They are designed to more precisely mold to your feet, with a high-top design and soft fit to protect you from sports injuries.

From clothing to kitchenware to mobile phones, Li Bai can come up with a detailed description within seconds. If you are interested in a certain dress, he can tell you details about its design, including the length of its sleeves and whether it is a mini, midi or maxi silhouette.

Li Bai, who gets his name from a legendary Tang Dynasty poet, can do more than write descriptions. He can discuss a wide range of topics with literary flair. When asked about “wedding rings” recently, he wrote, “When the vow has been sealed, the wedding ring symbolizing holy matrimony drops from the sky.” Still, once in a while, his descriptions include odd cultural references that may raise some eyebrows, like his description of clothing that “befits a mature woman, exhibiting a unique Eastern glamour.”

When asked to evaluate his writing skills, the JD public relations team said it was “impressive… but we’ll keep writing our own blog posts for now.”

Li Bai will continue to expand his capabilities. The JD research team is training him to recognize images. With his skills improving by the day, he will continue to help JD’s talented team of writers, freeing them up for more complex writing tasks and enabling even faster generation of more high-quality content for users.

MUJI to Launch Flagship Store on JD.com

Posted on by Ling Cao

Over the past several years, Japanese apparel and household goods retailer MUJI has taken China by storm, making big inroads with consumers, and taking premium spots in trendy shopping locations. Now MUJI will be able to target consumers where they increasingly shop: online, through JD.com.

With the launch of the MUJI flagship store on JD, online consumers will have easy access to MUJI’s high-quality goods across its full range of product categories, including clothing, household goods, home furnishing, and even food, with the added benefit of JD’s same-day delivery and efficient customer service.

The June 1 opening of MUJI’s online store will mark the beginning of JD’s anniversary sale, a major shopping event culminating in June 18, one of JD’s biggest sales days of the year. During the event, JD and MUJI will also embark on an offline cooperation to raise awareness of the new partnership, with MUJI displaying posters in 231 of its stores throughout the country announcing the launch of the new flagship store.

“We are very excited to announce the opening of our store in JD.com, following the cooperation with JD Logistics, which began in September 2017,” said Naoyuki Yamamoto, president of MUJI (Shanghai) Company Limited. “We look forward to bringing our vision of a simple, pleasant life to people, as well as contributing to society, through this partnership with JD.”

“We look forward to helping MUJI take their hugely popular brand to new levels through this cooperation,” said Lijun Xin, president of JD Home and Life. “Known worldwide for its simple aesthetic and well-designed products, MUJI has garnered a loyal fanbase of quality-conscious customers. With our commitment to delivering authentic products with world-class service, JD is the perfect home for MUJI’s premium wares.”

MUJI was founded in Japan in 1980 with an eye toward creating simple, low-cost, high-quality products. It is known for its streamlined manufacturing process that produces simple products that are both durable and pleasing to the eye. There are over 800 MUJI stores around the world, carrying more than 7,000 items ranging from clothing and household goods to food.

During the second half of 2018, MUJI and JD plan to deepen their partnership, with expanded cooperation on comprehensive omnichannel integration covering membership programs, products and more.

JD In-Car Delivery Takes Convenience to the Next Level

Posted on by Ling Cao

Chinese customers of the e-commerce giant will be able to experience the company’s blazingly-fast delivery from anywhere they can drive their cars.

JD, which can deliver over 90% of its orders same- or next-day, will debut a new in-car delivery service in partnership with leading electric vehicle company NIO. The new service allows customers to have their purchases dropped off in the trunks of their cars, whether their cars are parked at home, at the office, or in a wide range of other approved areas.

The launch by JD is the first of its kind in China.

JD In-Car Delivery Service will use connected car technology that automatically locates customers’ cars, then enables JD’s delivery personnel to pop the trunk of  the car using a Personal Digital Assistant to the car, deposit the consumer’s order, and lock the trunk again. To maximize security, the device is programmed so only the specifically authorized JD delivery person will be able to open the car trunk, while the entire delivery process can be monitored using in-car cameras.

The offering adds a new, convenient option for consumers with cars who may not be available to accept deliveries in person, such as office workers who park their cars in the company lot during the day, or commuters who leave their cars in their driveways while they are out.

“JD.com is well-known for its unrivaled delivery speeds and for developing innovations in service that make life more convenient for our consumers,” Bing Fu, Head of Planning and Development, JD Logistics.  “Imagine the convenience of finishing work for the day and knowing that your orders are already waiting in your car for you, ready to drive home. You can have the peace of mind that, even when you’re not at home, your JD orders have been stored securely in your trunk. JD In-Car Delivery makes that possible.”

JD’s partner in the effort, NIO, is a pioneer in the development of smart, electric and autonomous vehicles. Its NIO ES8, one of the most anticipated new car models that is expected to be released in China this year, will ship with JD In-Car Delivery Service as a standard option.

Over the coming months JD will be partnering with other leading automakers in China to roll out the new service across connected car models. To utilize in-car delivery, JD consumers who own compatible car models can simply connect their JD account with their account on the automakers’ connected car platforms.

JD.com’s Europe-China Freight Train Takeover Brings the Chinese Market Even Closer to European Producers

Posted on by Ling Cao

JD has a new highly efficient and cost effective answer for merchants looking to get their products from Europe into the hands of consumers in China-space on a freight train dedicated to delivering JD goods. Faster than sea and cheaper than air, the first China Railway Express chock-full of the highest quality, JD-procured European products, has just completed its inaugural journey from Germany to China.

The train left Hamburg, Germany, and traveled the 10,000km to Xi’an, the capital of central China’s Shaanxi province, where JD operates one of its most important distribution hubs for cross-border imports. By sea, the route traditionally favored by European producers to get their goods to China, the journey would have taken twice as long – up to 35 days. The rail route is also 80% cheaper than air transport. While JD has long included rail freight as a transport option from Europe, this is the first time the company utilized an entire train. Many of the products carried on this inaugural journey are expected to be sold during JD’s forthcoming June 18th Global Shopping Festival, one of the most important online sales events of the year in China.

Thanks to this new addition to JD.com’s sophisticated cross-border logistics network, the company can now ship goods from most European markets direct to consumers in China – creating significant cost savings for retailers and suppliers. Since JD handles all customs procedures, retailers and suppliers also benefit from a “one-stop shop” service solution, with JD handling every aspect of the freight process from the train station in Germany to the consumer’s doorstep in China. JD is also building out a transfer center in Hamburg to extend this convenience to more merchants across Europe.

Moreover, the train functions as a ‘mobile warehouse’ – as soon as goods are logged and loaded onto the train in Germany they can immediately be listed for sale on JD.com’s e-commerce platform in China. This means that consumers can place orders for the products even while they’re in transit, shortening wait times for consumers while further reducing warehousing costs and increasing stock management efficiency for brands and retailers.

Liu Han, General Manager of International Supply chain at JD Logistics, said, “At JD, logistics innovation and efficiency is all-important, because we know that speed, cost and choice are what matter most to our suppliers and our consumers. Through our use of a train from Germany to China fully dedicated to carrying goods destined for JD.com, we are dramatically reducing the time to market for European retailers and suppliers, and providing our consumers with even more product choices at cheaper prices. With demand for imported European products soaring on JD, we expect to launch a regular service later this year, and we look forward to seeing this train make many more trips in the months and years ahead.”

The train travels along a network of rail lines connecting East Asia and Europe, and passes through Poland, Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan before reaching its destination in China.

JD Brings AR Innovation Offline

Posted on by Yuchuan Wang

After developing some of the world’s most advanced AR and 3D technologies, JD is now bringing its online AR capabilities offline. Based on the company’s previously launched AR Styling Station, which enables customers to virtually try on products such as lipstick and blush with real makeup effects, JD’s AR Beauty Mirror will appear in retail giant Walmart and Chinese cosmetics brand Carslan’s brick and mortar stores.

JD.com has been advancing the online shopping experience through AR and 3D technologies, creating multiple interactive experiences to help shoppers find and select products, and create new digital touchpoints for brands with its consumers.

JD’s new offer solves several problems that have long plagued beauty shoppers, including hygiene concerns and tester availability. It also adds convenience, since shoppers no longer have to leave the store with rainbow-stained lips or cheeks from trying too many products on during a single shopping spree. By using JD’s Beauty Mirror, shoppers can try on as many products as their hearts desire (including some of the more bold choices they wouldn’t have dared to try in the past), select the ones they wish to purchase, and walk out of the store looking exactly as they looked when they entered.

JD has already implemented the AR Styling Station with over 60 brands on its platform. The platform’s AR Glasses Try-on feature lets shoppers virtually try glasses on to see if they suit their faces. And JD’s 3D Fitting Room gives shoppers the ability to try on clothes before purchase through a customized avatar matching their hair, faces and body dimensions. The feature has already been implemented for over 3,000 SKUs in the male and female apparel categories.

For brands, the addition of AR features provides them with additional touchpoints with their customers, especially online where they otherwise might not have them. Brands can use interactive AR features such as games to tell the brand story to prospective customers and loyal fans alike.

JD has worked with dozens of brands in AR marketing, including L’Oreal, Maybelline, Max Factor, Budweiser, Tsingtao Beer and TWE, among others. Through AR marketing campaigns, customers are immersed in a brand story or game to build a unique and interactive experience.

Chinese spirit brand Jiangxiaobai has partnered with JD to create an AR marketing campaign and increase sales on JD.com. Consumers who scanned specially labelled bottles of Jiangxiaobai with their JD app would be immersed in a game in which they can play bartender and test their mixology skills, for the change to win coupons to apply to online purchases.

“The AR campaign we created with JD provided a highly energized touch point with our targeted consumers online, offering our brand a valuable opportunity to build relationships with customers and allow them to better understand us as a brand,” said Yan Wang, Director of E-commerce Channel, Jiangxiaobai.

JD is also exploring the use of AR glasses for shopping guides to create a truly immersive, entertaining way to inform consumers on their shopping journeys. The assisted shopping guides would integrate online data from JD to provide personalized and curated experiences in offline stores.

JD continues to advance the use of AR to revolutionize all facets of retail. As an example of its Retail as a Service strategy in action, the company is exploring how to leverage its resources with external partners, including hardware manufacturers and content creators. The company is actively working with Vipshop to apply advanced AR technologies in online fashion. JD will also explore AR and MR (mixed reality) shopping scenarios with Lenovo, leveraging the company’s hardware to enrich the shopping experience.

FENDI’s FF Reloaded Pop-Up Goes Digital on JD’s Toplife

Posted on by Ella Kidron

JD has partnered with FENDI to launch a virtual pop-up store for the brand on the e-commerce leader’s luxury shopping platform TOPLIFE. The pop-up will be dedicated to FENDI’s FF Reloaded Capsule Collection. From May 18th to May 31st, Chinese consumers have the chance to buy their favorite pieces from the collection online through TOPLIFE.

Representing the first collaboration between FENDI and the Chinese luxury e-commerce platform, this project combines the Maison’s heritage and extraordinary creativity, as well as its will to keep an eye on the future with pioneering and innovative initiatives in digital, with TOPLIFE’s carefully-curated platform and sophisticated network.

The result is a top-notch online experience for luxury consumers, granted by TOPLIFE’s advanced technologies, unmatched delivery speed and attention to detail that can match the FENDI luxury in-store shopping experience.

“We’re excited to work with FENDI to bring its highly respected collection to our consumers in China,” said Xia Ding, President of International Fashion at JD.com. “We are proud that FENDI fans will be able to buy this special collection through a truly luxury experience.”

Designed by Karl Lagerfeld in 1965, the FF logo combines FENDI’s luxury authority with an irreverent attitude, establishing the Maison’s logo as a contemporary yet sophisticated icon. The FF logo steals the spotlight in the capsule as the unconventional archival square version, dating back to 1974, dominates streetwear inspired silhouettes from parkas, to hoodies, the signature Rockoko sneakers and accessories including the Kan I, Peekaboo and the Runaway bag. The square logo, updated from the original rectangular version, takes center stage as the graphic pattern features heavily on every item. The collection incorporates the FF logo in the classic tobacco and black colorways and in a new surprising white and black variation.

FENDI adds to the list of leading fashion brands that have recently formed partnerships with JD’s TOPLIFE. The company previously welcomed the likes of Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and recently Oscar de la Renta, among others to TOPLIFE, strengthening its position as the destination of choice for the world’s top luxury brands looking to come online in China.