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This week, JD.com launched its Super Hairy Crab Day sales event ahead of the highly-anticipated season for the coveted crustaceans. The event was a huge success, in only 24 hours selling nearly two million crabs and coupons for crabs that customers will give as gifts.

Over the past few years, online sales of Hairy Crabs have spiked – and with JD.com’s efficient logistics network, consumers in over 300 cities across China can now enjoy fresh crabs within 48 hours, and in less than 24 hours in 150 cities. Customers located in cities closer to the heart of crab production, such as Shanghai and Suzhou, are able to receive live crabs within six hours.

JD.com takes special precautions throughout the entire Hairy Crab delivery process so consumers can enjoy the freshest live crabs, including tailor-made packaging to ensure optimum temperature control and air flow. More importantly, by leveraging JD.com’s self-operated cold chain logistics network, the crabs are under 24-hour surveillance throughout the entire process including packaging, distribution, and cross-city and last-mile delivery.

Starting this year, customers will also be eligible for JD.com’s Fresh Crab Insurance. If any crabs purchased directly from JD.com die within six hours upon delivery, customers will be eligible for a refund.

Driven by JD.com’s reputation for quality, sales of Hairy Crabs on the site grew 500% in January to August compared to the same period a year earlier. Beijing and Guangzhou were the hottest markets for Hairy Crab purchases – with Beijing sales increasing a whopping 800% since last year. We anticipate an even bigger spike in sales for September 2017.

As JD’s logistics network reaches more and more people throughout China, the company expects Hairy Crab sales to grow even further. For example, in the southwestern province of Guangxi, Hairy Crab sales in the first half of this year saw an 860% increase from the same period in 2016.

Currently, JD.com offers high-quality crabs from a variety of sources, including from Lake Yangcheng, Lake Tai and Lake Hongze in Jiangsu – as well as emerging areas such as Lake Panjin in Liaoning and Lake Dazong in Jiangsu. Since increasing their exposure to consumers by selling on JD.com, fishermen from Lake Panjin and Lake Dazong have experienced more than a 350% increase in monthly sales.

To support the development of sustainable Hairy Crab production, JD.com has joined with local governments in 10 key crab production areas, including Lake Yangcheng, Lake Tai and Lake Hongze to form a strategic crab alliance. By working together, JD.com will be able to promote industry standardization, improve production sustainability and bring rapid “lake-to-table” delivery of fresh, high-quality Hairy Crabs to consumers throughout China.

“Super Hairy Crab Day” is the latest “Super Product Day” or “Super Brand Day” on JD.com, programs designed to promote specific brands or product categories. On July 7, JD.com’s Super American Cherry Product Day saw sales of more than 15.7 million cherries from Chelan, Washington.

At this season’s New York Fashion Week, JD.com, China’s largest retailer, kicked off a partnership with 3.1 Phillip Lim, as the title sponsor of the NY-based modern luxury designer brand’s Spring/Summer 2018 Runway Show. By working with JD, the e-commerce platform of choice for upwardly mobile Chinese consumers, 3.1 Phillip Lim effectively shortens the distance between Chinese fashionistas and global trends. The fast-growing Chinese market is incredibly important to 3.1 Phillip Lim and the brand is excited to share their Spring runway experience with JD’s more than 258 million customers.

“My Chinese heritage has always influenced who I am as a person and as a creative. The Chinese market is an important part of our future brand expansion and we want to connect with more Chinese consumers. JD is an incredible platform and we are very grateful for their partnership in bringing the runway show experience to their customers,” said Phillip Lim, Creative Director.

“As Chinese consumers demand a wider and more sophisticated range of high-end fashion brands, we have made it a priority to bring them the world’s best designers,” said Xia Ding, President of JD Fashion. “As one of the top American designers, Phillip’s modern aesthetic resonates globally and we hope to work together to grow his business throughout Asia.”

For Spring 2018, 3.1 Phillip Lim explored an eclectic mix of modern day classics reimagined with touches of madness. Keeping to his mantra of ‘cool, easy, chic,’ pinstripe tailoring, deconstructed utility, and flamenco ruffles were abundant, offering wardrobe staples that are both youthful and elegant.

While Chinese affection for baiju continues to grow unabated, imported alcohol is increasingly finding a place in the drinking glasses of Chinese consumers, according to data from JD.com, China’s largest retailer.

Western spirits still make up only a small portion of the total Chinese market for alcohol, which is dominated by baijiu—a clear, strong, grain liquor that is used to toast occasions large and small across all parts of Chinese society. But the category is growing at a fast clip as more choices become more broadly available and as “cocktail culture” begins to gain in popularity.

Bacardi rum, for example, which announced last year that JD would become its exclusive e-commerce partner for its portfolio of brands in China, saw GMV rise by some 400% in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2016.

In general, western spirits are growing at a faster clip than baijiu, JD data shows. The trend comes as curious drinkers in China’s cities find new western alcohol choices in restaurants, bars and clubs, and have difficulty finding the brands like Bacardi, Grey Goose vodka, Dewar’s or Johnnie Walker Scotch whiskeys or Remy Martin, in local shops. Those consumers have increasingly turned to their smart phones or computers to place their orders on JD.com, knowing they’ll find a wide range of only authentic brands, and that they’ll receive their purchases quickly and packed securely, handled every step of the way by a JD employee.

To address that growing demand from more than a quarter-billion customers, JD.com has launched marketing efforts to help educate them on available options.

Meanwhile, brands are working with JD.com to introduce new products to a receptive audience. Bacardi recently launched a new alcoholic drink exclusively on JD; distilled from Chinese tea leaves and produced in France, the new “Tang” drink combines multiple traditions and flavors in a way that is attracting consumer interest.

China continues to have a growing thirst for quality imported wine as well. JD’s customers bought some 20 million bottles of imported wine in the first half of 2017, with France leading the pack, followed closed by imports from Australia and Chile.

Bottoms up!

Leading International Brands Including Russell Hobbs, George Foreman, Remington, Rayovac, FURminator, Tetra, Armor All and Kwikset to Launch Flagship Stores Through JD.com

Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc., a global consumer products company offering an expanding portfolio of leading brands providing superior value to consumers and customers every day, today announced the launch of a substantial online sales effort in China on e-commerce giant JD.com, China’s largest retailer.

Spectrum Brands will offer a broad range of consumer goods via multiple flagship stores beginning this month, providing Chinese consumers with the opportunity to purchase high-quality products for many of its leading brands in categories including home appliances, personal care, pet supplies, hardware and home improvement, home and garden, batteries and auto care.

Flagship stores covering brands such as Remington, Rayovac, George Foreman, Armor All, STP, Tetra, Dingo, FURminator and Nature’s Miracle will be launched in the coming weeks as a phase one implementation.

“We are excited to enter into this strategic partnership with JD.com as it will accelerate Spectrum Brands’ entrance into the world’s largest e-commerce market,” said Dave Albert, Managing Director of Asia-Pacific for Spectrum Brands. “Through JD.com’s high-quality, online shopping platform, we will offer our expanding portfolio of innovative and trusted products to hundreds of millions of emerging middle-class consumers in China.”

“We are delighted to be able to offer some of Spectrum Brands’ great range of products to our more than 258 million active customers in China,” said Carol Fung, President of JD Fast Moving Consumer Goods. “Spectrum Brands’ well-known, high-quality products will delight our customers who are looking to improve their lives and their homes.”

Products from Spectrum Brands’ new flagship stores, as well as hundreds of thousands of other items available on JD.com, will be delivered to the homes of customers via JD’s world-class logistics network and same- or next-day shipping guarantee.

As JD Supermarket prepares to celebrate its anniversary on September 9, there is much to celebrate. In the second quarter of 2017, JD Supermarket seized the overall market lead in sales volume for supermarkets in China, online or offline.

At the beginning of the year, JD Supermarket announced its goal to help 10 brands surpass RMB one billion in GMV during 2017– and we are well on track! Seven brands on JD Supermarket including P&G, Merries, Wyeth and Danone have already surpassed RMB one billion for the year, and more than 100 brands have surpassed RMB 100 million.

And for 2018, we have set even higher goals: we want 500 brands to surpass RMB 100 million in GMV during the year.

JD’s growth with women consumers is a major contributing factor for JD Supermarket’s success. During the last 12 months, the number of women consumers on JD Supermarket has more than doubled, driving sales in the personal care and beauty categories, including female hygiene products, perfume and make-up products and baby and maternal products, such as diapers and milk powder.

JD’s strengths in supply chain, logistics and marketing is helping lower costs and drive sales for brands. Over 4,000 products from leading brands were launched on JD Supermarket in the first half year of 2017. The inroads that JD has been able to make into categories that have historically sold primarily offline are clear. Rice and cooking oil, for example, have increased sales by 80% in the last 12 months, due in large part to the added convenience that our superior logistics solutions afford consumers. Heavier products, such as beverages, have similarly shown a clear trend toward JD’s online channel, with sales increasing more than 60%.

Below is a range of key data from JD Supermarket: