Aug 19, 2020|
Sizzling Adult Products Consumption under COVID-19. JD Data Doesn’t Lie
by Ella Kidron
When it comes to adult products, COVID-19 may have impacted purchase choices, but certainly hasn’t caused consumer interest to wane.
A report released just ahead of Chinese Valentine’s Day (Qixi七夕, July 7th on the lunar calendar, falls on July 25th this year) by the JD Big Data Institute finds that while the pandemic drove a huge increase in demand for contraceptives, it also seems to have stimulated long-distance partners’ desire to make purchases for their counterparts from afar.
Above all, the report underscores that JD’s strong supply chain capabilities, wide range of high quality choices, fast logistics and protection of privacy have taken away some of the traditional embarrassment some consumers of the adult products categories face, and made it more convenient for people to satisfy their needs in this area. Furthermore, JD’s constant delivery, ensured a strong market for adult products brands, even under the pandemic.
JD data shows that from January to June, demand for family planning products increased over 30% YOY, and was roughly equivalent to every person who has bought related products on JD buying 44 condoms and two boxes of emergency contraceptives each. In February, growth of condoms alone increased nearly 50% YOY. Impacted by the pandemic, adult products growth in Hubei province, the epicenter of the pandemic, fell sharply in February this year compared with that of last year, after which it gradually approached the national average and then slowed a tad in June.
As can be seen from the dramatic changes in related search keywords, likely affected by the external environment under COVID-19, the growth of adult toys in 2020 is lower than that of contraceptives and functional medicines. The aircraft cup / masturbation cup (飞机杯) and vibrator (震动棒) ranked as the top men’s and women’s adult products respectively, followed by simulation dolls (仿真娃娃) and egg vibrators (跳蛋). Lingerie, other adult toys and simulation dolls ranked top three in terms of traffic. Looking deeper into men’s products, it so happens that the largest “doll” merchants are from Wuhan, explaining some of the impact on inflatable / simulation dolls this year.
With the gradual improvement of the COVID-19 situation in the second quarter, JD’s big data analysis found that “remote” orders for condoms and contraceptives demonstrated a significant upward trend since April, with the number of emergency contraceptives purchased reaching 150% in May, compared with the same period last year, perhaps suggesting the reuniting of long-distance lovers following lockdowns and road closures. Overall, emergency contraceptives have increased 53% YOY.
One thing worth noting is that tropical Hainan province, dubbed “China’s Hawaii” saw the fastest year-on-year turnover of adult products on JD in June, increasing 111% YOY and 208% month-on-month. According to Trip.com’s “Interprovincial Travel Recovery Half Month Report”, Hainan’s Sanya firmly topped the list of the most popular destination cities in June, with the number of tourists growing by 210% month-on-month.
Among consumers who have purchased contraceptives on JD, the most frequent feedback is along the lines of, “JD delivers quickly”; “The quality of the imported goods is the same as what you can get at the hospital”; and “Prices are cheaper than the drugstore.”
In 2020, the purchase of masturbation products for the opposite sex by women consumers has increased by about 30%. Intercity orders increased by about 120%, perhaps suggesting an attempt to ensure their partners’ needs are taken care of even when they are not together. There is a significant increase in purchases by women with higher education backgrounds.
The top 10 brands on JD in terms of turnover in 2020 are: Durex, Okamoto, Wanaike, Jinge, Bililing, Jissbon, Cialis, Mizz zee, Duzihate and Skvakom. From a category perspective turnover is highest in contraceptives, followed by functional medicine and then the sexual interest / adult toys category.
According to an iResearch report, in 2020 the adult toys market will exceed RMB 130 billion yuan in size, and Internet retailing in the space will exceed RMB 60 billion yuan thanks to the privacy and convenience advantages it offers.
Apr 22, 2024|
JD.com Debuts AI Digital Representative of Founder Richard Liu During Livestream, Drawing 20 Million Views in Under One Hour
During a livestream on April 16th, JD.com introduced an AI digital representative of its founder, Richard Liu (Qiangdong Liu), nicknamed “procurement and sales manager Brother Dong (采销东哥).” Liu appeared in both JD Home Appliances and JD Supermarket’s livestreaming rooms, attracting over 20 million views within the first hour and generating RMB 50 million in sales throughout the entire livestream.
The digital representative almost perfectly replicates Liu’s facial expressions, body language, gestures, and voice, capturing even the subtlest movements of his fingers. Behind this technology is JD Cloud’s ChatRhino, an advanced large language model (LLM) that brings the avatar to life.
Behind the Technology
The LLM precisely mirrors Liu’s distinctive expressions and movements, naturally weaving in his occasional finger twiddles while he speaks, accentuating points with hand gestures, and adding nods at just the right moments for emphasis, creating a natural and authentic representation. Perfecting the voice proved to be a greater challenge. Those who have heard Liu speak are well-acquainted with the distinct inflections of his Suqian accent—a characteristic touch from his small-town roots in Jiangsu province. Observers will note the brisk pace of his speech, lighter enunciation, and his tendency to meld words in a seamless flow. His “sh” sounds carry a nasal quality, and he often addresses people as “brothers” to boost morale.
While programming the standard Mandarin dialect is relatively straightforward, teaching the AI to adopt the nuances of the Suqian dialect and Liu’s unique vocal patterns required a precise level of customization from the ChatRhino LLM. For example, the LLM had to provide accurate judgments on when to introduce the nasal tonality or the specific moments to merge words, ensuring the AI’s linguistic output mirrored Liu’s signature speaking style authentically.
Beyond replicating vocal characteristics, the AI’s voice must also be suitable for the casual, dynamic atmosphere of e-commerce livestreaming, such as adopting colloquialisms like “xiong di men” — a phrase comparable to “folks” or “guys” in English — to create a friendly rapport with the audience. JD Cloud’s ChatRhino team fine-tuned the model to focus on sociable nuances. The initial dataset for the LLM consisted predominantly of Liu’s formal speeches—spirited and compelling, yet too ceremonious for the interactive world of livestreaming. To cultivate a more congenial and approachable persona, the team utilized Liu’s recent casual conversations as the primary source material, rich with personal anecdotes and travel tales. This approach shaped the AI’s voice into one that is that is not only natural and approachable but also genuinely engaging for the end user.
As a fully self-developed technology product of JD Cloud, the ChatRhino Digital Representative solution has already served over 4,000 brand merchants, contributing to a 30% increase in order conversion rate during idle hours and helping merchants reduce livestreaming costs, enhance operational efficiency, and optimize user experience. Equipped with 50,000 hours of voice data, this technology enables digital representatives to intelligently adapt to various livestreaming styles dynamically.
The AI is also adept at managing 70% of routine live chat inquiries autonomously without any manual intervention, while also optimizing its responses with a self-improving algorithm. For instance, digital representatives can autonomously fields questions using product details and scripts, and post-livestream, and assimilate new information. Mirroring the acumen of seasoned sales professionals, it boasts a 90% accuracy rate in offering tailored product recommendations when solicited by customers.
The recent introduction of a cutting-edge livestream control console serves as the “brain” for the digital representative solution. It diligently monitors real-time inventory, adjusting the showcased products in the livestream and tailoring the script to ensure relevance—sidestepping items that are out of stock and spotlighting those in high demand. It also gauges and fine-tunes the frequency and style of interactions based on live audience engagement. With this advanced platform, businesses managing multiple livestreams can effortlessly operate thousands of sessions concurrently via cloud services, bypassing the need for intricate local setups. This innovation yields a substantial cost reduction of 30%.
Human-Machine Synergy
The intention behind digital avatars is not to outshine or compete with human talent but to harness the potential of technology to work in concert with livestreamers, maximizing overall growth. Essentially, the digital representative solution serves as a tool for brands and merchants to leverage long-tail traffic once real livestreamers conclude their broadcasts. JD’s analytics indicate this strategy can boost order conversion rates by 30% during off-peak hours, such as late into the night.
Digital representatives also excel in specific product categories that require detailed explanations, such as health products like nursing beds, electric wheelchairs, and oxygen concentrators. The solution can provide constant, round-the-clock guidance, adding substantial value to livestreams when traffic is typically lower.
Last week, JD.com announced an investment of one billion yuan into video content creation. This investment underscores JD’s commitment to leveraging the power of short videos and livestreams to transform the online shopping experience for its users and create new growth avenues for brand merchants.
Apr 20, 2024|
JD.com Unveils Ambitious Plans for 618 Grand Promotion: Aiming to More Than Double High-Performing Merchants
JD.com is gearing up for this year’s 618 Grand Promotion with an ambitious goal: to more than double the number of merchants achieving sales over one million yuan on its platform. At the recent Conference of Merchants and Ecosystem Partners on April 18, JD.com introduced a range of supportive initiatives aimed at achieving this ambitious target.
Sandy Xu, CEO of JD.com, noted at the conference that the company will dedicate significant resources to bolster traffic support, incorporate advanced AI technology, and enhance service capabilities. These efforts are particularly focused on empowering third-party merchants, including small and medium-sized enterprises in its marketplace.
Key initiatives include optimizing the platform’s traffic distribution ecosystem to prioritize highly-rated stores and products and competitively priced products through enhanced search and recommendation mechanisms. Additionally, JD.com will continue to offer merchants free access to high-traffic channels, which include significant incentives such as the popular 10-billion-yuan discount and free shipping programs.
To engage more content creators, JD.com recently announced that it will allocate over one billion yuan in cash incentives and traffic resources. This investment aims to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem that supports merchants’ traffic, business growth, and innovation.
At the core of JD.com’s strategy is technological innovation, which involves integrating AI-driven solutions into merchant operations. This includes the deployment of JD’s proprietary large language model, ChatRhino, and an AI-empowered merchant operation platform that offers are variety of free AI applications, and more. These technologies streamline various operations scenarios, enhance efficiency, and reduce costs for merchants.
For instance, On April 16th, JD.com unveiled an AI digital avatar of its founder, Richard Liu, as a sales host on its livestreaming platform. This event attracted 20 million viewers in just one hour and generated sales exceeding RMB 50 million ($6.9 million). This AI-driven virtual host technology, developed by JD Technology, is now supporting over 4,000 brands on the platform. Additionally, merchants such as a sashimi knife seller can utilize JD.com’s AIGC content generation tool to quickly produce high-quality demonstration images, bypassing traditional costs associated with product photography.
JD.com also continues to enhance its service capabilities, particularly for small and medium-sized merchants. This includes personalized business guidance, comprehensive training programs, and upgraded after-sales services, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for customers.
As of March 2024, JD.com has seen a significant increase in active third-party merchants on its platform, surpassing one million. This growth is a testament to the platform’s effectiveness and its appeal to both new and established merchants.
JD MRO Helps Digitize Hardware Industry
