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by Ella Kidron

The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) released new standards concerning e-commerce deliveries of alcohol on May 25. JD.com, the first member to join IARD from China, was featured in IARD’s Global Standards for Online Sales and Delivery report for giving consumers the option to opt out of alcohol-related marketing.

As mentioned in the report, JD provides consumers with the flexibility and functionality to customize and control the alcohol marketing messages that they see on its e-commerce platform. Consumers who do not wish to see alcohol marketing can simply click an “X” that is displayed next to the products. JD’s recommendation engine uses artificial intelligence (AI) to determine which products will be promoted to customers and therefore can quickly learn consumers’ preferences. After a short period of time, JD.com’s platform will stop displaying alcohol-related product marketing to consumers who opt out of it.

According to IARD’s report, e-commerce alcohol value growth between 2015 and 2020 was 120% and total sales in 2020 were $36.8 billion. Furthermore, IWSR Drinks Market Analysis finds that across 20 key markets, the value of e-commerce alcohol sales is forecast to grow by 74% between 2020 and 2024.

IARD is a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing harmful drinking worldwide and promoting understanding of responsible drinking, among those who choose to drink. IARD is supported by its member companies from all sectors in their common purpose of being part of the solution to reducing the harmful use of alcohol. IARD’s member companies are commercially active in more than 100 countries and contribute to sustainable growth and embrace a whole-of-society approach to improving health.

IARD’s CEO chair, Albert Baladi (who is also president and CEO of Beam Suntory), said in the report: “Within the alcohol e-commerce sector, there are already responsibility practices and different business models in place – but now with the growth in online sales and alcohol deliveries rapidly accelerating, it is urgent that we build and leverage robust responsibility standards across the world and throughout the entire supply chain.”

“E-commerce also presents many opportunities to further combat the harmful use of alcohol – it is a direct channel for us to provide consumers with information on harmful drinking, and for them to engage with our brands in a responsible way,” he added.

 

(ella@jd.com)

by Yuchuan Wang

 JD become one of the first three enterprises in China to obtain road test license plates for autonomous delivery vehicles. The announcement was made by Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area (BJHAD) on the 8^th International Congress of Intelligent and Connected Vehicles Technology (CICV) held in Beijing on May 25.

Dr. Qi Kong (in red), chief scientist and head of JD’s autonomous driving technology receives the license plate from Lei Kong, vice director of management committee of Beijing Economic Technological Development Area and head of promotion working group of BJHAD

BJHAD also announced the test version of the implementation rules for the management of autonomous delivery vehicles during the congress.

“It will provide more space and opportunities for the industry to grow,” said Dr. Qi Kong, chief scientist and head of autonomous driving technology at JD Logistics. “JD will proceed with larger scale road tests and commercial operations on public roads which will accelerate our technology advancement to provide experienced intelligent delivery service to customers.”

JD debuted its first autonomous delivery vehicle in September 2016. The company revealed its 4.0 robot in 2019 following years of research and iterations, and became the world’s first company to apply Level-4 autonomous driving technology on public roads without any human interaction.

As of April this year, JD has put its autonomous delivery vehicles into daily use in over 20 cities in China for the last-mile delivery of e-commerce parcels. In Changshu, Jiangsu province, over one fifth of JD’s delivery stations have adopted the vehicle in daily operations.

 

(yuchuan.wang@jd.com)

by Hui Zhang

Zenith SA, a Swiss luxury watchmaker, launched an official third-party store on JD.com on May 17. The store is an addition to its previous first-party store on JD.com opened in 2017.

To mark the store’s opening, Zenith will bring more than 20 new and classic watch series to the platform, including Chronomaster Sport, DEFY 21 Ultrablue, Pilot Type 20, and others.

 

“JD.com is not only a reliable choice for consumers, but also an important channel for international brands to expand their Chinese market,” said Kevin Jiang, president of international fashion and lifestyle of JD. “Zenith’s in-depth partnership with JD reflects its trust to our platform.”

Zenith and JD.com have witnessed a good partnership since 2017, with Zenith bringing in a few exclusive services to JD’s consumers, such as signature customization on watches. Zenith has also become one of the international brands welcomed by consumers in terms of sales.

Established in 1865, Zenith was the first watch manufacturer in the modern sense of the term. It was acquired by LVMH in November 1999, becoming one of several brands in its watch and jewelry division, which also includes TAG Heuer and Hublot.

 

(zhanghui36@jd.com)

by Ling Cao

JD’s private label brands including J.Zao, Hommy, LATIT, Huixun and others kicked off this year’s 618 Grand Promotion with a big promotion day on May 24, providing cost-effective and new products to customers, as well as discounts, flash sales, livestream and more entertainment solutions.

Products offered by JD’s private label brands during the promotion day covered a wide range of categories and price points, from a tissue roll costing only RMB 0.5 yuan to a smart appliance worth RMB 1,000 yuan, from pet food, computer and digital products to cosmetics and home décor.

During 618, JD released a new private label brand Jing Meng, which focuses on pet products. For example, it designed a mobile carrying case for pets featuring a fresh air circulation system, providing pets with a more comfortable environment while traveling. Jing Meng also designed different flavors of nutritious cats’ snacks, making the food more delicious and healthy for cats.

A representative from Jing Meng said, “We focus on pets’ experience first in designing these products. We think this innovation and method is a key factor to expand the market penetration.”

JD’s private label brands also worked with home appliance departments on Consumer-to-Manufacturer (C2M) products, such as electric kettles and hair dryers. Customers can access these products from JD’s online stores, SEVEN FRESH and home appliance experience stores. These products have been popular among customers since their release.

 

(ling.cao@jd.com)

by Rachel Liu

Nestlé, Danone and Lego won Top International Brand Awards at JD’s 618 kick-off conference held in Beijing on May 20 for their sales, product development and customer service on JD.

Nestlé began to work with JD in 2011. As the largest food manufacturer in China and a Fortune 500 company, Nestlé has worked deeply with JD on customer operations, Consumer-to-Manufacturer (C2M), marketing and supply chain to provide high-quality products and services for customers. In April 2019, Nestlé launched an 800g package of crispy wafer bars developed with C2M, suitable for customers to take on family outings. It launched 10 times quicker than usual products of Nestlé. The brand also worked with JD on sustainable development projects, such as implementing new energy vehicle transportation and recyclable packages.

Many of Danone brands, such as Aptamil, Nutilon, Cow&Gate, are popular among consumers in China. In 2020, Danone and JD analyzed customers’ demands and successfully launched a new product Nutilon PRO on JD in just six months. On June 18, 2020, the peak day of JD’s 618 Grand Promotion (Jun. 1-18), Danone ranked No. 2 among milk powder brands. During the past Singles Day Grand Promotion (Nov. 1-11), Danone products also performed well.

Lego is a now the most popular toy brand in China, and since joining JD in 2015, its sales have been increasing quickly. JD provided support on products, marketing, customer experience and other resources. The two sides are working together to develop themed products of Lego to discover new growing opportunities.

“During the upcoming 618 Shopping Festival, we would like to bring the best experience to customers, help brands develop faster and create more social value,” said Chenkai Ling, vice president of JD.com. “JD is working with more international brands to bring high quality products to China and improve customers’ satisfaction.

 

(liuchang61@jd.com)

by Yuchuan Wang

JD.com delivered its first batch of emergency aid to Yangbi Yi autonomous county in Yunnan province at 5 a.m. on May 22, after the county was struck by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake at 9 p.m. on May 21. The earthquake killed three people and injured 32, according to a report by People’s Daily on May 22.

In 2012, JD.com’s founder Richard Liu announced a company regulation stating that if a disaster happens anywhere in the country, the nearest JD warehouse should immediately donate and transport its goods to meet the emergency demands, and that its management does not need to obtain prior approval.

JD’s truck departs from its warehouse in Dali in the early morning

Upon learning about the earthquake in Yunnan, JD established a support team and its warehouse in Dali immediately delivered goods, including water and food, to Yangbi. The company’s warehouses in the region continue to supply goods to help local people weather the difficulties.

JD.com has been actively practicing social responsibility by leveraging its supply chain. Since the breakout of COVID-19, the company has invested over one billion yuan in medical supplies donation, ensuring logistics transportation and people’s livelihoods, while enabling merchants and boosting the economy.

 

(yuchuan.wang@jd.com)

by Hui Zhang

at the Er PrimaryJD.com and Kweichow Moutai Group, China’s liquor giant, unveiled the opening of a library School of Daozhen Gelao and Miao Autonomous County in northernmost Guizhou province on May 18, with a donation of about 15,000 books on the theme of Chinese traditional culture for students of both primary and secondary schools.

All the books were donated by employees from the two companies as part of their ongoing social welfare program in partnership with China Social Assistance Foundation, aiming to set up 5 public libraries within schools in the county to improve rural education quality.

“JD.com has always adhered to its social responsibility, and has made active and continuous efforts in improving the quality of consumption, safeguarding employment and promoting the development of the real economy, while also contributing to the high-quality development of the social economy,” said Carol Fung, president of JD FMCG Omni-channel.

Carol Fung, president of JD FMCG Omni-channel

“JD.com and Moutai share the same philosophy in practicing corporate social responsibility, and we have jointly carried out a number of cooperation efforts in the area so far. We hope to enhance cooperation with Moutai in the future to jointly promote rural revitalization and traditional culture.”

During the event celebrating the library opening and books donation, children’s literature author Zhou Rui hosted a much welcomed class for local students on Peking Opera, the most dominant form of Chinese opera combining music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics.

“Moutai believes that proper education can help relieve people from poverty, and we have done a solid job to help the poor through participating in education,” said Jingren Li, vice chairman and president of Moutai Group.

Jingren Li, vice chairman and president of Moutai Group

“Our cooperation with JD.com to set up this library is one of our new efforts to facilitate local education development in the county,” he added. “We’re looking forward to working with more companies like JD.com to help relieve poverty through education and to promote rural revitalization.”

 

(Banner photo: Lu Bin, Party Secretary of Daochen County; Jingren Li, vice chairman and president of Moutai Group; Carol Fung, president of JD FMCG Omni-channel; Xueqing Fei, Deputy Governor of Daozhen County) 

 

(zhanghui36@jd.com)

by Ling Cao

Ten Jingxi partners won awards at the JD 618 kickoff conference held on May 20 in Beijing. The partners, which include P&G, Unilever, Mondelēz International, Midea (its official Jingxi store) and more, have all cooperated with Jingxi to expand in lower-tier markets, providing customers with cost-effective products and services.

The awards cover different sectors, such as Top 10 omni-channel partners, new lower-tier market brands, industrial brands, fresh produce brands and supply chain partners.

Unilever has worked with Jingxi New Markets since 2017, with both parties expanding lower-tier penetration by opening new stores, pushing forward marketing innovation, product customization and more. By sharing these capabilities with small and medium sized local stores, they have enabled customers to purchase high-quality products from brands more conveniently. In 2020, Unilever has gained 60% sales growth YOY for the sales contributed from the partnership with Jingxi New Markets.

A domestic cotton wipes brand Chunzhisu has been named among the Top 10 industrial brands. When COVID-19 impacted the industry supply chain in 2020, causing the row materials price to increase by 50%-70%, Chunzhisu still kept its product quality by working with Jingxi to customize products during the hard time. During peak time such as 618 or Singles Day (Nov 11) Grand Promotion in 2020, Chunzhisu orders increased from 10,000 to 50,000 on a daily basis.

Another domestic fresh produce brand Huadefeng also won an award. The brand worked with Jingxi to build a direct-sales model from place of origin to customers, with daily sales volume reaching as high as 20,000.

A representative from Huadefeng said, “We will deepen our partnership with Jingxi, providing customers with delicious fresh fruits using fresh food supply chain capability.”

A representative from Jingxi said, “From the kickoff conference until June 20, Jingxi will provide customers with new entertainment channels, more worry-free services and higher-quality products with affordable prices, helping partners lower costs and improve efficiency, promoting healthy industry development.”

 

(ling.cao@jd.com)