JD.com Ramps Up Hub Node Data Center Construction for National Project

Posted on by Yiming Yan

by  Yiming Yan

As an important participant in the new infrastructure construction of China, JD Cloud has completed the layout of over 7,000 data centers around the country, based on its extensive experience in technical facility building and operation management.

On February 17, China’s NDRC (National Development and Reform Commission) and other departments officially launched the “east-to-west computing resource transfer project,” involving the construction of eight national computing hubs as well as 10 national-data center clusters.

The project aims to efficiently direct computing demand from the east to the west of the country. By optimizing data center layouts and promoting east-west synergy, the project will better optimize resource allocation, thus improving efficiency.

A spokesperson of JD Cloud disclosed that JD Cloud will subsequently participate in the construction of hub node projects related to the “east-to-west computing resource transfer project,” build low-carbon and energy-saving data centers and construct a more flexible and efficient infrastructure system to promote industrial digitalization.

Several of JD’s data centers are already located in hubs of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta, and the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle to serve the initiative.

Among which, JD Cloud’s Langfang data center in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region hub uses a high-temperature water system to cool CPUs through large-scale adoption of liquid cooling and heat recovery technologies, achieving a total carbon emission reduction of over 10 percent, reducing the data center’s annual operation PUE to less than 1.1, saving the infrastructure energy consumption by nearly 30 percent.

The JD Cloud Data Center in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle has introduced large-scale computing clusters, disaster recovery centers, and projects such as intelligent manufacturing as well as big data industry manufacturing and an R&D division, serving as a model of new infrastructure support for the regional gathering of the intelligent industry ecosystem.

“Like the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the West-East natural gas transmission program, we should fully exploit the country’s system and mechanism to make integrated arrangements at the national level,” NDRC official Sun Wei stated in a recent interview, according to Xinhua.

 

(yanyiming1@jd.com)

JD Worldwide Partners with British Luxury E-commerce Venture Barclay Street

Posted on by Mengyang He

by Mengyang He

JD.com’s cross-border e-commerce marketplace, JD Worldwide, has signed a cooperation agreement with Barclay Street on February 23, aiming to bring over 100 British and European luxury brands to the Chinese market. With the cooperation, a store named “Barclay Street Overseas Flagship Store” will open on JD.com this year, through which JD.com’s users will have access to a wide range of high-quality British and European products.

Signing ceremony in China (from left to right: Mr. Kannon Qian, Head of JD International Logistics Europe; Mr. Larry Lee, Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs at JD.com; Mr. Chen Lin, Vice President of Platform Business at JD.com; Mr. Xu Jin, Chairman of China Association of International Trade; Mr. Luke Liu, Deputy General Manager at JD Worldwide)

Barclay Street is a UK-based business focusing on providing boutique luxury brands with access to the Chinese market. “We are thrilled to be partnering with JD.com, one of the world’s leading online retailers. This is a transformational step towards opening the doors of the largest luxury goods market in the world to a variety of Europe’s finest boutique brands,” noted Mr. Myles Barclay, Co-founder and CEO of Barclay Street. “Our collaboration with JD will significantly lower the barriers to entry for those brands, and give Chinese consumers unprecedented access to some of the UK and Europe’s finest craftsmanship.”

Signing ceremony in the UK (bottom center: Mr. Barry Yu, General Manager of JD International Logistics UK; bottom right: Mr. Myles Barclay, Co-founder and CEO of Barclay Street)

“Fashion products are hot sale in cross-border consumption. Through the cooperation, JD Worldwide will bring more international high-quality brands to the Chinese consumers,” explained Mr. Chen Lin, Vice President of Platform Business at JD.com.

To better facilitate these international merchants at tapping into the Chinese market, JD Worldwide has provided Barclay Street with tailor-made support solutions in product selection, marketing operations, logistics, warehousing, and other aspects.

JD.com will also open a fast track for cross-border e-commerce entry, helping international merchants with qualification review, logistics and payment opening, synchronization of product selection, customs filing, and product listing. The entire process will be shortened from several months to 3-4 weeks.

Signing ceremonies in China and the UK

Additionally, the UK based teams of JD International Logistics will work closely with Barclay Street to build end-to-end all-chain solutions, leveraging JD’s global supply chain network services for international merchants, including over 1,300 warehouses and 200,000 delivery personals.

As of now, JD’s 80 bonded warehouses and overseas warehouses stretch over North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and more. With nearly a thousand global supply chain network routes in place, JD International Logistics has been providing services to 220 countries and regions.

As a one-stop consumption platform focusing on the integrated import business, JD Worldwide will explore more development approaches, promote the integration of supply and demand, become the bridge between consumers and international merchants, provide chances of growth for the merchants, and better service experiences for the consumers.

Barclay Street is a subsidiary of AILUX Group Ltd, a UK company specializing in providing solutions for boutique brands in China.

 

(hemengyang5@jd.com)

JD’s First Batch of COVID-19 Relief Donations Arrives in Hong Kong

Posted on by Vivian Yang

by Vivian Yang

After JD.com announced it would donate RMB 100 million yuan worth of COVID-19 relief supplies to medical workers in Hong Kong on February 18, its first cargo truck carrying nearly 15,000 protective suits arrived in the city in early hours on February 23.

More boxes are on the way, with the first batch totaling over 6,000 boxes of PPEs including masks, gloves, and sanitizer gels, which were shipped from factories and warehouses from different regions in China over the weekend and consolidated in Shenzhen.

The first cargo truck of JD.com’s COVID-19 relief donations arrived at JD’s warehouse in Hong Kong

More emergency dispatches of COVID-19 relief materials will continue to be transported to JD’s warehouse in Hong Kong, from where the local organization “Hong Kong Community Anti-Coronavirus Link” (全港社区抗疫连线) will handle the distribution to hospitals.

COVID-19 relief donations of JD.com arrived at JD’s warehouse in Hong Kong

“Thank JD.com for the concern and quick support to Hong Kong’s fight against the epidemic. We will take stock of the supplies and dispatch them to ensure that they reach the frontline medical staff as soon as possible to meet their urgent needs,” according to the organization.

A JD staff takes stock of the donations in the company’s cargo transfer center in Shenzhen  

To meet Hong Kong residents’ surging demand for anti-epidemic and life necessities, JD mobilized inventories and set up a special portal on its App to offer online shopping convenience for Hong Kong customers as well as discounts and free delivery service, which also helps reduce cross-infections.

JD Health has launched a free online consultation service for users in Hong Kong to have easy access to healthcare advice from telemedicine doctors and multimedia guidance on coronavirus infection prevention.

 

(vivian.yang@jd.com)

Posted in ESG

JD.com Kicks Off Wilson Brand Day for Hot Sale

Posted on by Mengyang He

by Mengyang He

JD.com kicked off the Wilson Brand Day on February 23, bringing consumers an array of top-tier American sports products at discounted prices, including basketballs, tennis balls, professional and beginner tennis rackets, sports duffle bags, inflators for basketball, football, volleyball, as well as  accessories.

Wilson is highly visible in various sports events worldwide. For example, Wilson is one of the NBA’s officially recognized basketball brands. On JD’s Wilson Brand Day, the NBA training-used basketballs, indoor basketballs, youth basketballs, and women’s basketballs are all available at discounted prices.

Depending on different usage scenarios and consumers’ needs, Wilson basketballs are divided into five major categories: hard floor & moisture absorption, campus series, streetball series, classic series, and league series, which correspond to different floor surfaces, such as cement, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), hardwood, etc.

Not only do Wilson basketballs strive to look good aesthetically, but they utilize technologies and different materials to increase the abrasion resistance and the texture, allowing consumers to have a better user experience.

 

(hemengyang5@jd.com)

Journalists Visit JD.com on Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Media Tour

Posted on by Xiaoqian Han

by Xiaoqian Han and Mengyang He

Sixty-two journalists from 38 international and Chinese media outlets visited JD.com on a Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics media tour on February 18, taking a close look at the headquarters, JD SEVEN FRESH supermarket, and the JD Asia No. 1 Beijing Intelligent Logistics Park.

This event was organized by 2022 Beijing Press Center, under the theme of “New Atmosphere of the Dual Olympic City”. The Asia No. 1 Beijing Logistics Park opened in 2017 and spans over 120,000 square meters. As of September, 2021, a total of 41 Asia No. 1 Logistics Parks are in operation across China, each equipped with an independently built shuttle system, AGV (automated ground vehicles), and high-speed sorting system, which represents the cutting-edge technology JD possessed in the process of fulfillment.

JD Asia No. 1 Beijing Logistics Park

The JD Asia No. 1 Beijing Logistics Park adopts automation technologies and robots in the supply chain to enable workers to finish 250 orders per hour, which is three times faster than before. Additionally, this park deploys over 330 vehicle AGVs to process over 800,000 orders each day.

Journalists taking pictures of JD’s unmanned delivery vehicle in front of SEVEN FRESH

The journalists also stopped by JD SEVEN FRESH supermarket, which was launched in 2017 to provide consumers with immediate and high-quality retail services via omni-channel. Changfeng Zhang, JD SEVEN FRESH store manager at Dazu Plaza, explained in an interview that “unmanned delivery vehicles are one of key applications of SEVEN FRESH in delivering goods from stores to consumers.” With the new business model and ecosystem of the SEVEN FRESH, JD gave the press corps a solid story of how the company had combined digital technology with real economy.

Hui Liu, Director of Consumption and Industry Development Research Institute of JD.com, speaks to visiting journalists

The tour ended at JD.com’s headquarters, where it showcased the self-service area, unmanned convenient store, JD’s robotic technology, and more. “The sales of winter sports gear have surged significantly during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics period, as ice and snow equipment turnover climbed by 107 percent year-on-year, garment turnover by 99 percent, and winter sports safety gear by 41 percent,” noted Hui Liu, director of Consumption and Industry Development Research Institute of JD.com. In front of the big screen at the command center of JD.com, journalists had the chance to view the nationwide real-time number of order placements. A reporter from Hong Kong commented, “At here I can feel the high enthusiasm of customers in China and the strong dynamic of Chinese economy.”

 

(hanxiaoqian3@jd.com; hemengyang5@jd.com)

 

JD.com Donates RMB 100 Million Yuan Worth COVID-19 Relief Materials to Hong Kong

Posted on by Doris Liu

JD.com announced to donate RMB 100 million yuan worth of anti-epidemic materials to medical workers in Hong Kong. The donations will be arranged by the “Hong Kong Community Anti-Coronavirus Link” (全港社区抗疫连线), a frontline volunteer organization in Hong Kong.

JD.com said that it will maintain close communication with the voluntary organization and will provide support whenever necessary in the fight against the pandemic resurgence in Hong Kong.

Over the past two years, JD.com has been leveraging its supply chain infrastructure capabilities and technological advantages to fulfill its social responsibility, and supporting the prevention and control of the COVID-19 outbreaks in different regions across China. JD.com also made donation to some countries in Asia, Europe and South America in fighting COVID-19.

 

(press@jd.com)

Posted in ESG

Many Luxury Brands See Valentine’s Day Surging Growth on JD.com

Posted on by Xiaoqian Han

by Xiaoqian Han

 

Sales of fashion and luxury goods on JD.com, such as Tory Burch, MCM, FURLA, TOD’S, HUGO BOSS, Emporio Armani, Longines and Coach, increased significantly on Valentine’s Day.

The turnover of trendy women’s purses increased by more than 10 times year-on-year (YOY). Tory Burch, an American brand that recently opened a flagship store on JD.com, saw a 246% increase in sales month-on-month compared to the five days before the Valentine’s Day period (February 9th to 14th). Sales of other brands like Germany’s top leather goods brand MCM and long-standing Italian leather brand FURLA also increased by 318% and 650% respectively month-on-month. Sales of TOD’S increased by 331% YOY, and HUGO BOSS and Coach increased by 168% and 588% respectively YOY.

Various fashion brands have launched limited designs for Valentine’s Day, highlighting romantic love in various styles to provide JD consumers with more special choices. The sales of facial and skin care products, which are popular among female consumers, increased by more than 5 times, and the sales volume of perfumed makeup products grew by 2.4 times YOY. Meanwhile, diamonds, watches, and luxury goods sales climbed by over 4 times YOY, while pearls and K-gold accessories sales increased by more than 2 times. For example, the turnover of Emporio Armani’s diamond ladies’ watch increased by 1521% YOY on Valentine’s Day. The sales of Longines and rorolove watches grew over 200% YOY.

Consumers of different age groups tend to buy different types of items. The younger generation born in the 1990s prefers romantic gifts, and men purchased 70% of the romantic-categorized gifts to express their love. Consumers born in 1985s are the primary purchasers of surprise-categorized Valentine’s Day gifts for their partners. Gift boxes account for a bigger proportion of transaction value in the 46 and above age group, and the consumption data also show that customers in this age group tend to choose practical gifts more than other age groups.

Many luxury brands have joined JD.com as a result of outstanding sales performance on the platform. So far, more than 300 luxury fashion brands have opened official flagship stores on JD.com, allowing customers to purchase items from across the world without leaving their homes and enjoy the high-quality products.

 

(hanxiaoqian3@jd.com)

 

Non-traditional Flavored Dessert “Tangyuan” Rise in Popularity During JD’s Lantern Festival Sales

Posted on by Doris Liu

by Doris Liu

In preparation of the Lantern Festival, which fell on February 15 this year, customers showed a great demand for both traditional and non-traditional flavors of “tangyuan”, a traditional Chinese dessert usually served on the day, with its turnover on JD.com surging dramatically.

“Tangyuan”, glutinous rice flour balls with sweet stuffing, are regarded as a symbol of family reunions and a happy life. This year, packages offering an assortment of flavors account for 31 percent of JD’s online sales of Tangyuan, showing a trend of trying multiple flavors at one meal by customers. Sales of glutinous rice flour, black sesame filling and red bean paste, which are classic ingredients of home-made Tangyuan, went up by 91 percent YOY.

Many non-traditional flavors of tangyuan gained popularity among consumers. The sales volume of Oreo cookie flavored tangyuan increased by 12.6 times YOY, and salty yolk-stuffing tangyuan more than doubled YOY. In addition, hawthorn and orange flavors climbed by more than 75 percent YOY respectively, while sales of sugar-free tangyuan, which represent a healthy lifestyle and good for diabetics, were up by 70 percent YOY.

Lighting up lanterns and guessing riddles are traditional customs for the festival. Festive consumption related to the tradition was also surging, with the turnover of multi-color lights climbing up by almost fivefold and lanterns by 171 percent YOY respectively.

Many people turned to online shopping for family members. Among the cross-province orders placed before the festival, sales of health services and fresh food both increased by more than double YOY, and sales of jewelry increased by 68 percent YOY.

The Lantern Festival traditionally marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebration.

 

(liujun215@jd.com)