JD.com Launches Robotic Shops “ochama” in the Netherlands

Posted on by Vivian Yang

On January 10th, 2022, JD.com, a leading supply chain-based technology and service provider, opened two robotic shops by the new brand name “ochama” in the Netherlands, with more locations to follow soon. The new model of shops introduces an unprecedented shopping format merging online ordering and pick-up shops in which robots prepare the parcels, and home delivery service.

The first two ochama pick-up shops are in Leiden and Rotterdam, with two more to open in Amsterdam (Diemen) and Utrecht.

 ochama pick-up shop opened in Leiden and Rotterdam

It is the first time that JD.com has opened a physical retail store in Europe. Ochama, which combines “omni-channel” and “amazing”, also marks the first omni-channel retailer in the Netherlands that offers both food and non-food in one shopping App.

“With rich experience in retail and cutting-edge logistics technologies that the company has accumulated over the years, we aspire to create an unprecedented shopping format for customers in Europe with better price and service,” said Pass Lei, general manager of ochama, JD Worldwide.

Check-out inside ochama pick-up shop

The omni-channel model allows shoppers the convenience of ordering products online through ochama’s App, where a full range of A-brand products are offered covering fresh & packaged food, household appliances, beauty, maternal and child products, fashion, home furnishings and more.

The automated warehouse is part of its futurist pick-up shop, where people can witness a fleet of robots including AGV (automated ground vehicles), robotic arms and more that engage in picking, sorting, and transferring the merchandise. By simply scanning the App’s QR code at the check-out, shoppers will watch as their orders are carried to them by the conveyer belt, as part of a cashierless and hassle-free shopping trip.

Ochama’s Chief Operation Officer Mark den Butter noted that by fully tapping the technologies in logistics and supply chain management, the shops can bring down the product price by an extra 10% at the benefit of the chain’s member customers.

In addition, people can visit the pick-up shop’s showroom to experience ochama’s product assortments, or they can also choose the next-day home delivery service without going to the pick-up shop.

The Netherlands is one of the most urbanized countries in Europe. Data from the World Bank shows that as of 2020, 92% of the population in the Netherlands live in cities with a polycentric urban structure, which has led ochama’s decision to open shops across four cities.

“Dutch people are passionate for innovation and a green environment, and ochama’s shopping format is designed to contribute to both aspects,” said den Butter. “There will be no queue and fewer traffic jams to do the chores as they can go for convenience, benefits and everything in one stop at ochama.”

 

(press@jd.com)

JD.com Partners with China Media Group for Spring Festival Gala 2022

Posted on by Vivian Yang

by Vivian Yang

JD.com has been named the exclusive interactive partner of China’s Spring Festival Gala 2022. An official announcement was made at a joint press conference with China Media Group (CMG) in Beijing on January 5th, 2022.

JD’s App will be the official distributor of the gala’s virtual red envelopes, which are an important feature of the annual TV show, which occupied 18 of 20 highest audience rating TV programs (around 30%) for the past 20 years (the other two are the opening and closing ceremony of Beijing Olympics 2008) and allow hundreds of millions of viewers across the world to interact while watching the live broadcast on Chinese New Year’s Eve, which falls on January 31 this year.

The interaction campaign is expected to provide 1.5 billion RMB in virtual red envelopes and gifts. In addition to allowing users to snatch digital cash, JD will also include coupons for all activity participants this year.

All of JD’s gamified activities, which include inviting friends to online lucky draws, sending virtual red envelops with brand customized cover designs, gifting coupons, and more, will run from January 24th to February 15th(Lantern Festival), spanning the entire Chinese New Year celebration period in the lunar calendar, in order to provide participants with more time, richer benefits, and greater joy.

JD Technology’s cloud service is tasked to ensure the online jamboree runs smoothly. It has been geared up to withstand the massive instantaneous traffic rush that will occur when activities ramp up to the show time starting at 8pm traditionally – a high-pressure situation that JD’s cloud service has successfully navigated during multiple super-complex shopping festivals in recent years, including JD 618(June 18) and the Singles Day (November 11) Grand Promotions.

This year also marks the 10th year in a row that JD.com commits to non-stop delivery service during the Spring Festival holidays (January 31 to February 6), ensuring that customers across the country can receive their orders on time.

“We highly value the opportunity to partner with CMG in this year’s Spring Festival,” said Lijun Xin, CEO of JD Retail at the press conference. “JD has always been striving to satisfy our customers’ needs, and the gala show is an annual cultural feast appreciated by Chinese people. CMG and JD have a strong pursuit in common, which is to do our best to serve our users well.”

Jianming Peng, member of the CMG Editorial Board and chief of staff of CMG General Manager’s Office, recognized JD’s contribution to China’s economic development in recent years, particularly in terms of driving consumption upgrade, supporting Chinese brands and serving Chinese people in their desire for a better life. He is confident that the partnership, which is based on JD’s technological strength in digitalization, supply chain and others, will create an excellent festive atmosphere for the people celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Tiger.

 

(vivian.yang@jd.com)

SEVEN FRESH to Open 12 More Stores in Pearl River Delta in 2022

Posted on by Mengyang He

by Mengyang He

With a robust development in 2021 that ended with a year-on-year GMV growth of 95%, SEVEN FRESH, JD.com’s omni-channel fresh food store, plans to accelerate its expansion by opening 12 more stores in southern China in 2022, in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (the Greater Bay Area), and 15 more stores in northern China, in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration.

SEVEN FRESH announced its development goals by the end of 2021, striving to become a top-notch chain retail brand in China within the next 5-7 years, with a primary focus on two regions, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration and the Greater Bay Area. As eight stores already opened in the Greater Bay Area last year, SEVEN FRESH is expecting to have over 20 stores in the region by 2022.

“Having recorded a GMV of nearly RMB 3 billion yuan in 2021, SEVEN FRESH will set a hundred billion GMV target in the future,” noted Feng Zheng, president of SEVEN FRESH, in an interview.

The SEVEN FRESH Store

As of now, SEVEN FRESH has 48 stores in 13 cities across 9 Chinese provinces plus Beijing. As SEVEN FRESH adopts the omni-channel approach, combining online and offline services, customers can receive their on-demand delivery orders within 30 minutes from nearby stores with a radius of 3 kilometers.

“SEVEN FRESH chooses the Greater Bay Area as one of the primary focuses, because the population in the region have showed the concrete demand for fresh food,” Feng Zheng added. “JD.com also has a strong supply chain foundation in southern China, with many suppliers based in Shenzhen and Guangzhou.”

 

(hemengyang5@jd.com)

US Liquor Brand Brown–Forman Joins JD.com’s Chinese New Year Grand Promotion

Posted on by Mengyang He

by Mengyang He

Catering to the upcoming Chinese New Year Grand Promotion, JD.com and Brown–Forman Corporation, a well-known liquor and wine company from the US, co-announced the launch of a Jack Daniel’s Gold No. 27 Tennessee Whiskey new year gift box, followed by Woodford Reserve’s newly released product, Woodford Reserve Bourbon Whiskey Oak Cognac Double Barreled Special Edition.

Jack Daniel’s Gold No. 27 Tennessee Whiskey new year gift box

The launch came after JD had named whiskey products the “flagship” category on JD.com, which will receive favorable treatment on JD’s sales channel.

Founded in 1870, Brown–Forman Corporation owns over 30 well-known brands including Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve, Glendronach, Benriach, and more, which are being sold in over 170 countries and regions worldwide.

The transaction volume of Jack Daniel’s on JD.com, for example, accounts for 40% of its market share in China. According to JD’s data, international spirits and liquor brands have become more innovative and diversified in luring Chinese consumers, especially Gen-Z.

Jack Daniel’s already launched a customized gift box targeting the Chinese market in 2020, and it has been well received and maintained a spot in the top 2 among all items in Jack Daniel’s JD flagship store. In addition, Jack Daniel’s ended with a nine-fold increase in transaction volume during JD’s annual spirits & liquor shopping festival.

The robust performance of Jack Daniel’s is due to JD’s favorable treatment for whiskey products and the similar customer groups shared by JD and Brown–Forman, which has laid a great foundation for cooperation.

“The growth of Jack Daniel’s stems from JD’s support in various fields, such as marketing, co-branding, user operations, supply chain, omni-channel, and more,” noted Stephen Zhang, Greater China EC Manager from Brown-Forman.

“During the 2021 Singles Day Grand Promotion, Jack Daniel’s ranked among the top 3 imported spirit brands and was the No. 1 whiskey brand,” Da Lu, general manager of liquor and alcoholic beverage of JD FMCG omni-channel added.

 

(hemengyang5@jd.com)

7FRESH Store

JD Property to Launch Intelligent Logistics Park in Vietnam

Posted on by Yuchuan Wang

by Yuchuan Wang

On December 31, 2021, JD Property held a groundbreaking ceremony in Tan Duc industrial park in Long An province of Vietnam for the company’s intelligent logistics park project . With a total area of 100,000 square meters, it is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2022 to provide logistics solutions and warehousing space for clients from various industries.

The Tan Duc park is JD Property’s first smart logistics park project in Vietnam. Tan Duc serves as a gateway to both Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta, with travel time to both ends within an hour. The location makes it perfect to serve as a distribution hub for Vietnam’s rising e-commerce.

“This is the first step for JD Property to develop in Vietnam,” said Elite Van, business development manager of JD Property Vietnam. “We will be launching the second intelligent logistics park in Haiphong next year, to form an infrastructure network that connects the south and north of Vietnam, thus providing high standard and intelligent warehousing services.”

JD Property is a subsidiary of JD.com which focuses on infrastructure asset management and comprehensive property services. It provides integrated solutions for modernized high standard warehousing, intelligent industrial parks, IDCs (intelligent data centers), and more for partners from various industries. Deeply collaborating with local partners, it is developing logistics and industrial infrastructure in Southeast Asia and Europe, to help Chinese clients and local enterprises expand their businesses.

 

(yuchuan.wang@jd.com)

JD Health Opens Internet Hospital in Tianjin to Bring Traditional Chinese Medicine Services Online

Posted on by Vivian Yang

by Vivian Yang

In close collaboration with JD Health, the Internet hospital of the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was launched on December 26th, marking a big step towards the “Internet + TCM” model, in which Tianjin residents can easily make online appointments with TCM doctors and order medications for home delivery.

During the opening ceremony, Xuemin Shi, China’s TCM master and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, stated that Internet hospitals, big data, AI, and other innovative technologies will play an increasingly important role in the development of “Internet + TCM,” which presents a significant opportunity to existing TCM hospitals with established standards and premier services.

Enlin Jin, CEO of JD Health, stated that the company will continue to collaborate with more industry partners and medical institutions in the future to better integrate TCM resources and technological capabilities, allowing high-quality TCM services to benefit more people with better medical experiences and more hospitals with higher operating efficiency.

TCM’s diagnosis procedures, such as looking, asking, and checking a pulse, can now be realized through telemedicine and connected devices, thanks to technological innovation. Smelling, the one of the four diagnosis procedures, can’t be done remotely so far.

Local people in Tianjin can use WeChat to access the hospital’s mini program, which includes online health consultations, follow-up visits with their doctors, digital payment, and home delivery of prescriptions, among other things.

Lading page of the hospital’s WeChat mini program

JD Health is a pioneer in incorporating digital capabilities into a TCM solution that includes both online and offline resources, as well as treatment and pharmaceutical services. In 2020, the company launched its own TCM and medical consultations platform on the Internet. Patients can see more than 9,000 TCM specialists  on this platform, including China’s top TCM experts Daning Zhang, Sihua Gao, and others.

JD Health’s online service platform for prepared TCM slices, on the other hand, offers patients a one-stop shop for everything from medication ordering to decocting to delivery.

The Tianjin hospital, which was founded in 1954 and has strong TCM clinical, teaching and medical research strength, serves as China’s national clinical research hub for TCM and acupuncture.

 

(vivian.yang@jd.com)

East China’s First JD Mall to Land in Nanjing

Posted on by Yiming Yan

by Yiming Yan

JD Mall and INJOY Nanjing held a cooperation signing ceremony on December 21. The first JD Mall in East China will land in Jiangbei New Area of Nanjing, which will be the second collaboration between JD and Excellence Group after the successful opening of a JD Mall in Changsha.

Located in Jiangbei New Area, the thirteenth state-level new area in China, the first JD Mall in East China signals JD’s confidence in the consumption strength and development of that area. Meanwhile, relying on the influence of two commercial IPs, JD Mall and Excellence Group, the project will promote the commercial upgrading of Jiangbei and contribute to the growth of Nanjing.

Jiangbei New Area is currently promoting urban upgrading with the knowledge industry and knowledge economy. With the support of digital intelligence technology, JD is introducing a technology-supported “new consumption of knowledge” business model with a full-scene immersive experience for customers.

JD’s E-Space omni-channel retail experience store and its upgraded version JD Mall have already been opened in Chongqing, Hefei, and Xi’an, becoming the new coordinates of consumption. During the Singles Day Grand Promotion in 2021, the turnover of JD’s electric offline stores increased by more than 8 times YOY while the traffic to the stores increased by 15 times YOY.

(Yanyiming1@jd.com)