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JD Logistics Operates 700 Delivery Robots to Serve This Singles’ Day

by Yuchuan Wang

During this Singles’ Day, JD Logistics is operating 600 autonomous outdoor delivery robots and 100 indoor delivery robots in China to provide last-mile delivery services. On November 1, orders fulfilled by robots increased 300% compared with last year.

The application of robots not only provides flexible delivery options for customers but also enables supermarkets to offer on-demand delivery more easily. Now, JD’s delivery robot system has been deployed by some Sam’s Club and SEVEN FRESH stores to fulfill on-demand omni-channel orders.

This September, JD Logistics started cooperating with Shunyi Zhongguancun Garden to use such robots on public roads in Shunyi district in Beijing. In Beijing’s Shougang Industrial Park, a key venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics, last-mile delivery robots and mobile retail robots that are equipped with cold storage system are both in operating. Indoor delivery robots are used in malls and office buildings in over 10 cities including Beijing and Shanghai.

As the first company to apply Level-4 autonomous driving technology for delivery at large scale, technologies including high-precision positioning, sensor fusion and perception, simulation, IoT and more are adopted. Each robot can load up to 200 kilograms of goods and drive 100 kilometers per charge.

 

(yuchuan.wang@jd.com)

JD Health Integrates Pet Pharmacy and Hospital for One-Stop Service

by Vivian Yang

JD Health unveiled its pet care solution under the new brand of “JD Pet Health,” which consolidates both pharmacy and medical services for pets as two core businesses – a pioneering model in the Chinese market for pet health, both online and offline, all in one stop.

An All-Category Online Pharmacy for Pets

JD Health’s Pet Pharmacy is the first of its kind in China that offers comprehensive and trustworthy pet health products of all categories, types and brands, to better support people in caring for their pets in a more scientific and stress-free way, said Wenbo Tong, general manager of the health department of JD Pet Health, at the brand launch ceremony on November 1 in Beijing.

The brand launch ceremony of “JD Pet Health”

Products on the JD Pet Pharmacy range from medicines and nutrition to medical devices, with sub-categories segmented into prescription drugs, OTC skin and digestive drugs, fitness devices, prescription food, and more.

By virtue of JD’s logistics competence, pet owners can expect product orders to be delivered in a timely manner, in as fast as mere minutes.

Representatives of an array of pet health brands such as Elanco, Puainta, Zoetis, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Nourse, RedDog, IN-PLUS and more attended the ceremony and discussed their cooperation prospects with JD Health, including their upcoming products.

JD Health made the acquisition of JD Retail’s pet health products business this June, paving the way to close a pet service loop of “medicines + medical treatment.”

A Worry-Free Service for Furry Friends

“JD Health’s internet pet hospital, established in October 2021, has accumulatively provided more than 1 million customer interactions through 24/7 online consultation services with 99.5 percent users’ positive feedback around the year,” Tong said.

Wenbo Tong, general manager of the health department, JD Pet Health

Following the platform upgrade, Tong noted that the pet hospital will expand its medical services, integrating more offline stores and medical resources, such as body checkups, imaging, surgeries, and more that help standardize and digitalize the service processes, and deepening collaboration with veterinarians and relevant experts for specialized treatments, such as deworming, care for exotic pets, behavioral help and more.

An all-round pet health service product called “e-Butler for Pets” (爱宠管家) was also launched at the ceremony. With the service, pet owners can easily manage their furry friends’ online and offline clinic records, medical test reports, health evaluations, and other digital records, accessing professionals’ advice for pet illness and nutrition guidance within 8 seconds on their mobile phones around the clock with unlimited service times, and enjoy premium pet products at favorable prices on JD Health.

The landing page of “e-Butler for Pets” on JD Health

JD Health’s CEO Enlin Jin pointed out that the company strives to create a one-stop platform for pet health that fosters market growth opportunities for more pet brands and offline partners, presenting more accessible, premium, and trustworthy products and services for the benefit of customers and their pets.

Data from the 2021 White Paper on China’s Pet Industry showed that China’s urban pets (dogs and cats) have exceeded 112 million in number, boosting the consumption market scale to RMB 249 billion yuan by 2021, up 20.6 percent from 2020. According to the report’s survey, “family member” is the top preferred role of pets chosen by 85.1 percent of respondents.

 

(vivian.yang@jd.com)

 

The 2nd Ambassadors’ Forum of JD.com: Over 70 National Pavilions and RMB 500B Yuan

by Mengyang He

JD.com hosted the second Ambassadors’ Forum in Beijing on November 2, under the theme of “JD National Pavilions – Synchronizing the Good Life of the World,” where ambassadors from Cyprus, Georgia, Indonesia, Moldova, Serbia, Sri Lanka, and counsellors from Laos and Switzerland shared insights into and expectations for JD’s national pavilion business and bilateral trade between their countries and China.

From left to right: Joel Saurina, Counsellor of Embassy of Switzerland, Head of Swiss Business Hub; H.E. Martha A. Mavrommatis, Ambassador of Cyprus to China; H.E. Djauhari Oratmangun, Ambassador of Indonesia; H.E. Archil Kalandia, Ambassador of Georgia; H.E. Palitha T. B. Kohona, Ambassador of Sri Lanka; H.E. Dumitru Braghis, Ambassador of Moldova; H.E. Maja Stefanovic, Ambassador of Serbia; Lemsouthi Khouanchay, Commercial Counsellor of Embassy of Laos to China; Wei Ye, Vice President of JD.com and President of JD Foods of JD FMCG Omni-channel

According to JD, nearly 20 national pavilions have been launched during the Singles’ Day Grand Promotion, including ones from Cyprus, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, Hungary, Germany, and Malaysia. With over 70 national pavilions in operation, JD is set to have accumulatively 100 national pavilions by the end of this year, covering food and wine, electronic devices, mother and baby care, healthcare products, etc.

Wei Ye, vice president of JD.com, said in the welcome remarks, “As the go-to supermarket for Chinese consumers, JD Super has been accelerating the construction of national pavilions, providing consumers with a variety of international specialties.”

H.E. Martha A. Mavrommatis, Ambassador of Cyprus to China

Ambassador Mavrommatis said in her keynote speech, “China’s consumption upgrade and the youth’s desire for novelty have provided niche imported products with a great opportunity. On the day when National Pavilion of Cyprus was launched, Cypriot naturally extracted blue wine ranked the top seller among all semi-sweet wines on JD.com.”

H.E. Archil Kalandia, Ambassador of Georgia to China

“JD National Pavilion of Georgia was established in 2019, and its annual sales increased by 60 percent in the last 4 years,” highlighted Ambassador Kalandia. “On the first day of JD Singles’ Day Grand Promotion, National Pavilion of Georgia ranked high among others.” It offers an array of local specialties, such as ChaCha, which is particularly favored by younger generations, and traditional wine in clay vessels, which are considered intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

H.E. Djauhari Oratmangun (second from right), Ambassador of Indonesia to China

“With the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in effect, the Indonesian government actively supports local exporters, especially SMEs, to penetrate the Chinese markets,” said Ambassador Oratmangun. “We hope JD.com will promote Indonesian products, such as shrimp crackers, cookies, coffee, etc.” Ambassador Oratmangun was the only diplomat who has joined JD’s Ambassadors’ Forum in two consecutive years, and thus received special awards from JD.com for his dedication to promoting Indonesian products in the Chinese market.

H.E. Dumitru Braghis, Ambassador of Moldova to China

Ambassador Dumitru Braghis expressed that he hopes the National Pavilion of Moldova will offer more niche yet premium Moldovan products to Chinese consumers. On the first day of JD Singles’ Day Grand Promotion, the transaction volume of Sauvignon blanc from Mileștii Mici winery grew by 10 times YOY.

H.E. Maja Stefanovic, Ambassador of Serbia to China

National Pavilion of Serbia is a relative newcomer, as it was launched on JD.com in June this year. Traditional products including apple juice, cider, wine, coffee powder, snacks are popular among Chinese consumers. “National Pavilion of Serbia has already received 57,000 followers after only three months of presence on JD.com, which is a great achievement,” said Ambassador Stefanovic.

H.E. Palitha T. B. Kohona, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China

Ambassador Kohona pointed out that “Green and organic products are particularly attractive to Chinese consumers, yet organic produce must meet stringent quality checks and standards to satisfy Chinese requirements.”

Lemsouthi Khouanchay (center), Commercial Counsellor of Embassy of Laos to China

“We hope to introduce Laotian products, ranging from high-quality agricultural products to traditional furniture, to Chinese consumers through JD’s national pavilion business,” noted Counsellor Khouanchay.

Joel Saurina, Counsellor of Embassy of Switzerland in China, Head of Swiss Business Hub and Wei Ye

Counsellor Saurina was delighted to see several Swiss products on the premises, including chocolate, biscuits, and beverages; and in his comments highlighted remarkable achievements since the Sino-Swiss Free Trade Agreement was signed.

As the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) is around the corner, JD released the “2022 Import Consumption Report” at the forum, revealing that JD has procured over RMB 500 billion-worth of imported products over the past three years.

 

(hemengyang5@jd.com)

Luxury brands make debut amid JD.com Singles’ Day Grand Promotion

by Doris Liu

Amidst JD.com’s 2022 Singles’ Day Grand Promotion, which started on October 20, the J Shop, JD’s fashion and lifestyle business, has welcomed an array of premium international brands to launch their digital stores on JD.com, bringing the total to over 400 to better satisfy customers’ diversified consumption needs.

Established in 1934, Italian luxury menswear brand Canali has offered comfortable and elegant fashion for men, blending a variety of details and elements in harmony. The brand, one of the essential men’s fashion houses, presents the latest collection for the Autumn/Winter2022 season in its newly launched store on JD, as well as joining hands with JD Little Rubik’s Cube, a marketing channel to promote new products, to offer store members a merino wool hooded sweater and a reversible smooth and tumbled calfskin belt.

MACKAGE, a Canadian luxury outerwear clothing brand founded in Montreal in 1999, set up its JD store to showcase an array of its collections with timeless style and enduring craftsmanship, which will now be available on JD.com. With an unwavering commitment to premium quality without compromising on function or aesthetics, MACKAGE’s coats, jackets and winter accessories ensure a warm and comfortable outdoor experience while maintaining the brand’s artful style.

Additionally, French fashion label Zadig&Voltaire celebrated its 25th anniversary by opening an official flagship store on JD.com to introduce its sought-after products such as clothes, shoes, bags and accessories, which are an expression of the brand’s rock vibe mixing with effortless French elegance. Among the brand’s offerings are a rock necklace and snake ring, along with classic bags from the ZV Initiale, Rockyssime and Cecilia lines, which can all be found to match customers’ stylish fashion and free spirits.

The official sales event of Singles’ Day kicked off at 8 p.m. (BJT) on October 31 and is expected to culminate on the night of November 10 through the end of the 11th. Based on JD’s trustworthy ecosystem featuring zero tolerance towards counterfeit products and pluralistic marketing capabilities with digital innovation, JD.com will optimize the shopping experience of luxury brands from multiple perspectives through many specialized services including one-on-one customer service, a traceability solution to ensure authenticity, 15-day price guarantee and aftercare services for luxury goods.

 

(liujun215@jd.com)

JD.com Reports RMB 500 Billion Procurement of Imported Products in Three Years

by Vivian Yang

JD.com reported RMB 500 billion yuan in the procurement of imported products over the past three years, overachieving its goal of RMB 400 billion set in 2019, according to the company’s Report on Consumption of Imported Products 2022, which was released on November 2nd in Beijing during the Second Ambassadors’ Forum hosted by JD.com.

  • National pavilions flourish during  the Single’s Day Grand Promotion

Under the theme of “National Pavilions – Synchronizing the Good Life of the World,” the forum convened 6 ambassadors and 2 counselors from Cyprus, Georgia, Indonesia, Laos, Moldova, Serbia, Sri Lanka and Switzerland, as well as representatives from government and academia, to discuss the role of e-commerce in accelerating imports to China.

(From left to right, Mr. Joel Saurina,Counsellor of Embassy of Switzerland; H.E. Martha A. Mavrommatis,Ambassador of Cyprus; H.E. Djauhari Oratmangun, Ambassador of Indonesia; H.E. Archil Kalandia, Ambassador of Georgia; H.E.  Palitha T. B. Kohona, Ambassador of Sri Lanka; H.E. Dumitru Braghis, Ambassador of Moldova; H.E. Maja Stefanovic,Ambassador of Serbia; Mr. Iemsouthi Khouanchay, Commercial Counsellor of Embassy of Laos to China, and Mr. Ye Wei, Vice President of JD.com, President of JD Foods of JD FMCG Omni-channel)

Nearly 20 countries including Germany, Hungry, Cyprus, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, Malaysia, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, and more are opening their national pavilions on JD.com during this year’s Singles’ Day Grand Promotion period that lasts from Oct. 20th to Nov. 15th. Joining the 70-plus already opened stores under JD’s national pavilions program, which includes both cross-border and general trade, the total number of national pavilions on JD is expected to exceed 100 by the end of 2022.

“With the on-going trend of a consumption upgrade in China, JD.com is speeding up the building of national pavilions, giving overseas brands an omni-channel window to reach Chinese customers, while offering an excellent shopping experience, thanks to JD’s unparalleled after-sales, logistics service and more,” noted Wei Ye, vice president of JD.com, president of JD Foods of JD FMCG Omni-channel.

JD’s national pavilions program has been developing with solid support from official and authoritative endorsers of embassies, chambers of commerce, overseas brand partners, and importers who help pool resources in respective countries’ online stores, paving the way for products of all categories to enter China quicker, at lower cost and with trust.

  • Strong demand for imported products  

A number of ambassadors and senior diplomats to China have been directly engaged with Chinese consumers through JD.com, including shadowing JD couriers for parcel delivery, inviting lucky buyers of their countries’ products to visit their embassies, unveiling JD national pavilions, speaking up amid annual shopping festivals, and participating in livestreams to promote local specialties and culture.

The report said in the first half of 2022, SKUs of imported products on JD.com increased 51 percent, signaling a steady import growth on both the supply and demand sides. JD’s business solutions, such as national pavilions and cross-border e-commerce for fresh food emerged as effective means for many importers to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in recent years.

For imported brands to further succeed in China, attention should be drawn to the rise of the lower-tier markets and young people’s strong desire for personal expression. Digitalization is essential to help them compete with domestic brands in navigating quickly and effectively in this complicated and fast-changing market, noted Hui Liu, director of the Consumption and Industry Development Research Institute of JD.com.

Greater diversity and rising demand for high-end products are the main characteristics of Chinese consumers’ pursuit of imported products. The report pointed out that categories such as mobile phones, personal care, cosmetics, watches, glasses, and baby and mother products that relate to fashion designs, nutrition, and health all enjoy high market share compared with domestic brands, both in terms of sales amount and transaction value.

JD.com officially kicked off this year’s Singles’ Day Grand Promotion on November 1. In the first 10 minutes of the sales, the transaction volume of national pavilions increased over 12 times YoY. Sales of the entire day 1 show that the transaction volume of more than 800 overseas brands increased over 100 percent YoY, and that of over 140 sub-categories of products grew over 100 percent YoY.

 

(vivian.yang@jd.com)

 

JD.com Launches National Pavilion of Cyprus

by Mengyang He

JD.com launched the National Pavilion of Cyprus at a well-attended opening ceremony on October 27, with an aim to provide an array of high-quality Cypriot products to Chinese consumers. H.E. Natasa Pilides, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry of Cyprus; and H.E. Liu Yantao, Ambassador of China to Cyprus, delivered video messages from Nicosia, Cyprus; and H.E. Martha A. Mavrommatis, Ambassador of Cyprus to China joined the ceremony at JD.com’s headquarters in Beijing.

H.E. Natasa Pilides, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry of Cyprus

“The establishment of JD National Pavilion of Cyprus on JD.com is a unique opportunity for Cypriot companies and brands to increase their international presence and enter the vast Chinese market,” noted Minister Pilides. “In 2021, Cyprus’ domestic exports to China reached 20.7 million euros, for a 6.5 percent increase compared to the previous year. In the immediate future, we are optimistic that more companies will join and additional high-quality products will be included, such as olive oil, salt, and products made of carob.”

Ambassador Liu also shared his comments: “From January to August in 2022, the total trade volume between China and Cyprus reached 603 million US dollars, an increase of 33.8 percent over the same period last year. Thanks to JD.com, we are able to have access to Cypriot wine and food in China.”

Ambassador Martha A. Mavrommatis

At the opening ceremony, Ambassador Mavrommatis expressed her gratitude and appreciation to JD.com for its initiative to promote Cyprus and the island’s advantages and opportunities to the Chinese people. As the new ambassador to China, she arrived Xiamen on September 1. She was very pleased to see the opening of this pavilion within less than two months after she had assumed the ambassadorship.

Petros Petrou, Commercial Counsellor from Embassy of Cyprus in Beijing, has actively supported and facilitated the establishment of this pavilion on JD.com. He has worked closely with JD speeding up the process. Petrou was very proud to set up the record of shortest preparation time to launch a National Pavilion on JD.com that stands today. There are about 80 international pavilions opened on JD.com.

Wei Ye, Vice President of JD.com and President of JD Foods said, “We are very pleased to see a rich and unique selection of products from Cyprus, and excited to bring them to JD’s nearly 600 million active customers through JD National Pavilion of Cyprus.”

Cypriot naturally extracted blue wine from the Mediterranean Sea

According to Rachel Yang, Business Development Director of Agricultural Products of JD Foods, JD National Pavilion of Cyprus has already launched several Cypriot products. In addition to Cyprina fruit juice and Commandaria wine, the pavilion also offers several traditional products that are each protected as geographical indication products in the European Union market, such as halloumi cheese and Zivana pomace brandy.

Wang Yaping, former commercial counselor of China to Cyprus (2014-2018) attended this launching ceremony. “My wife is a loyal customer of JD.com, and we feel unbelievably convenient to buy our daily necessities with JD. Now even though I am in Beijing, it’s such a pleasant thing to buy easily the high quality blue and red wine from Cyprus, a country I miss a lot.”

“As the operator for JD National Pavilion of Cyprus, we are excited to partner with JD.com to provide Chinese consumers with unique Cypriot products and build the bridge between the two countries,” noted King Wang, Chairman of China Light Industry Cross-boarding Investment Co., Ltd (CLIBIZ CHINA).

 

(hemengyang5@jd.com)

JD Worldwide Ensures Service-Centered Singles’ Day Promotion

by Xinyi Guan and Doris Liu

JD Worldwide, JD’s cross-border e-commerce platform, vowed to maintain a smooth shopping experience of imported products with premium services as JD’s 2022 Singles Day Grand Promotion themed “A More Solid Life” kicked off on October 20.

By continuously improving the duty-free ecosystem, JD Worldwide has been in partnership with major Chinese license holders, setting up multiple offline stores as well as cross-border experience centers. During the Singles’ Day Grand Promotion, a wide range of duty-free selections covering cosmetics, skin care, perfume, liquor, digital products, and more are offered to customers with better price and service. For instance, the presale deposit can be used up to 10 times the amount for the order, and some products offer a discount of 50 percent off.

JD Worldwide Upgardes Duty Free Business to Unleash Demand for Imported Goods

So far, China’s leading duty-free companies Shenzhen Duty Free, Hainan Tourism Duty Free and China National Service Corporation have joined hands with JD Worldwide for online business and upgraded it as part of a digitally intelligent transformation. JD Worldwide also allied with France’s Lagardere Travel Retail, Joy City of Xi’an, the local government of Yantai, Shandong province, and more, to set up offline duty-free stores and experience centers.

More than 500 million products on JD.com are being sold with a 30-day price guarantee during this year’s Singles’ Day Grand Promotion, meaning that if the price of a product drops within 30 days of the purchase date, customers can apply for the cost difference simply with one click. Furthermore, the Genuine Product Authentication service also accompanies the whole shopping process to exercise zero tolerance policy towards counterfeit goods. When online stores choose the service, the imported products authorized by professionals from related state-certified institutions will be marked as appraised genuine products, and customers can scan the QR code on the products to view the authenticity evaluation report with a video of the authenticity process after receiving their orders.

Currently, JD Worldwide has attracted more than 20,000 brands from more than 100 countries and regions, with over 10 million overseas high-quality products. By building up a convenient and reliable shopping experience, JD Worldwide, as the most recognized and popular platform in China for imported products, will further unleash its omni-channel capabilities, and marketing and operation advantages to both help speed up the upgrading of traditional companies and tap into the consumption potential of the Chinese market.

 

(guanxinyi3@jd.com, liujun215@jd.com)

Technology Powers JD Logistics’ Fast Service during Singles’ Day Grand Promotion

by Yuchuan Wang

JD Logistics will leverage multiple technologies to secure steady operations and fast fulfillment for customers’ orders, powered by automation, AI, big data and more, during this Single’s Day Grand Promotion.

As the first logistics company in China to adopt address precision recognition technology, the company utilizes a 5-level address management service which leverages spatiotemporal big data and natural language processing technologies to analyze the address information input by customers. In China, addresses can be quite complicated, and postal codes are not always required for mail, especially for e-commerce parcels. The technology can precisely recognize address information, thus speeding up the fulfillment process and raising fulfillment accuracy.

Additionally, millions of kinds of products will be put in the nearest warehouses to customers and even in the delivery stations in their residential compounds, thanks to sales forecasting, so that couriers can deliver to their doorsteps as soon as the order is made, making delivery in minutes possible in 200 cities across China.

Ahead of this year’s Singles’ Day, the second phase of JD’s Xi’an Asia No.1 logistics park was put into use. Its autonomous delivery vehicles service area will also be expanded to more cities including Wuxi, Guiyang, Nanning and more. This intelligent contact-less automated delivery service also serves Sam’s Club and SEVEN FRESH supermarkets.

 

(yuchuan.wang@jd.com)