JD.com, China's second largest e-commerce platform, is no exception, and it has recently opened three offline stores, reported Jiemian on Tuesday. At around 20 square meters with three to four staff providing assistance, a variety of items are sold, including what made JD.com famous - consumer electronics.
In addition, the store showcases foreign brand cosmetics and healthcare products, which are also major components of the e-commerce platform, as well as JD.com gifts cards.
The offline store, which does not resemble a traditional physical store, offers QR codes for consumers to scan and purchase online. So far, JD.com has three offline stores all located inside Yonghui Supermarkets, which are located in the central and southeastern suburbs of Beijing, and Chongqing.
On August 2015, JD.com purchased a 10 percent share in Yonghui Supermarkets, for RMB 4.31 billion (USD 626 million). JD.com said they will cooperate with Yonghui Supermarkets on procurement, storage, and logistics, as well as online-to-offline services.
JD.com has also opened different offline stores in third and fourth tier Chinese cities, and they mainly offer distribution, delivery, and after-sales maintenance services for home appliances, a different strategy than the offline stores in Beijing and Chongqing city, as the latter focus more on buyers.
Alibaba, China's largest e-commerce company and JD.com's main competitor, has announced its strategic partnership with the Shanghai-based Bailian Group, the largest state-owned retailer, in an effort to further expand its off-line presence.
Source: allchinatech.com