JD.com Launches Sales of First 2024 Batch of Chilean Cherries with Unmatched Quality and Competitive Prices - JD Corporate Blog
On October 23, 2024, JD.com welcomed the arrival of the first highly anticipated batch of Garces Fruit cherries at Shanghai Port. As a key partner of Garces Fruit, JD Super, the supermarket division of JD.com, had already initiated pre-sales, and these premium cherries are now available for immediate delivery via JD NOW, with some areas offering delivery in as little as 30 minutes. The cherries will also be stocked at JD’s omnichannel supermarket, 7Fresh.
Garces Fruit, the world’s largest exporter of cherries, made history as the first company to transport Chilean cherries to Asia via sea freight. Today, one out of every ten Chilean cherries consumed in China comes from Garces Fruit. This year, Chile is set to export 1.32 billion boxes of cherries, totaling 65.79 million tons. However, a JD Super spokesperson noted that a decrease in yield for the 2024 season is expected, potentially leading to tighter supplies and price fluctuations. JD Super has secured a distinct price advantage by leveraging its advanced procurement strategy, pre-ordering, and its “10 Billion Yuan Agricultural Subsidy” program.
Competitive Pricing Through Scale and Efficiency
The growing demand for cherries among Chinese consumers has enabled JD.com to leverage its procurement scale to maintain cost competitiveness. On JD Super’s Flash Sale Day, January 1, 2023, cherry sales surged nearly 250% year-over-year, with sales of cherry gift boxes in third- to sixth-tier cities increasing by nearly 300%. JD Super’s intelligent supply chain enables it to optimize purchasing, secure cherries through pre-orders, and maintain relatively stable pricing.
JD’s end-to-end cold chain logistics provides an additional competitive edge, minimizing procurement, transportation, and wastage costs. As a result, consumers can receive fresh cherries within a day of ordering. In line with this approach, JD Super launched the “10 Billion Yuan Agricultural Subsidy” initiative in March 2023, committing significant resources over three years to ensure competitive prices for high-quality agricultural products.
Uncompromising Quality Control
JD Super’s professional procurement team traces the origin of the cherries directly to the production facilities in Chile, ensuring authenticity and quality. Upon arrival, a thorough quality inspection is conducted to confirm freshness, size, and overall excellence. JD Super also oversees packing, shipping, and quality checks at the supplier’s site to maintain the highest standards.
To reinforce quality assurance, JD Super employs a range of stringent measures, including periodic sampling, warehouse acceptance inspection, quality sampling, and factory audits. Customers purchasing Chilean cherries in their original packaging from JD Super will also receive a caliper as a complimentary gift, allowing them to grade the cherries themselves and verify they are receiving premium products.
On the occasion of China’s Double Ninth Festival – a traditional event on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month – JD.com’s Consumption and Industry Development Research Institute has released its “2024 Silver-Haired Consumer Report.” The report highlights an increasing convergence between the spending habits of China’s older and younger generations.
The report, based on surveys of 500 older adults and 500 younger individuals, identifies similarities in consumer preferences across areas such as, fitness, travel, skincare, and lifestyle. It reveals that China’s older adults are rapidly becoming a key force in the online consumer market, exhibiting greater spending power and a growing appetite for a wide range of modern products and services.
Blurring the Boundaries
One key finding is the increasing digital proficiency among older adults. According to the report, 60.7% of older adults spend more than three hours a day online, engaging in activities such as online shopping, reading news, mobile payments, and video streaming. These activities have become an integral part of their daily lives, nearly matching the habits of younger generations.
Online shopping by seniors has seen remarkable growth. From January to September 2024, the number of transactions, active shoppers, and spending by this group on JD increased by 238%, 187%, and 105%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2019. Their purchases range from basic necessities to high-tech gadgets and home appliances, with JD.com being the top choice for 95.3% of older shoppers.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that China’s population aged 60 and above reached 280 million in 2022, with over half being younger seniors aged 60-69. This demographic is generally well-educated, financially capable, and open to new experiences, leading to consumption habits increasingly similar to those of younger generations. The report notes that younger consumers’ spending trends are also influencing the lifestyles and consumption patterns of the elderly, further blurring the boundaries between the two groups.
Growing Appetite for Modern Shopping
Health and wellness have become major priorities for older adults, reflected in the rising demand for nutrition and fitness products. Sales of probiotics and health tonics increased more than tenfold and threefold, respectively, while fitness equipment like kettlebells and resistance bands more than doubled in sales. Additionally, sports gear for activities like badminton and pickleball saw an 80% increase in demand.
Fashion and beauty spending among seniors has also surged. Jewelry and beauty product sales have climbed, with sales of rings up by 307% and jade necklaces by 132%,. Anti-aging skincare products and personalized fashion items have seen a more than tenfold increase in sales.
Older consumers are not only embracing products designed for their age group but also cutting-edge technology. Sales of electric beds and shower chairs have grown by 152% and 202%, while smart locks and switches, like kitchen appliances, are becoming more common in senior households. Sales of smart bathroom cabinets, for instance, have risen by 277%.
Beyond essential purchases, seniors are driving demand for leisure activities such as photography, travel, and music. Sales of instant cameras jumped by 165%, while live-streaming equipment and digital cameras saw sales double. Pet care is another area where spending has surged, with prescription pet food sales rising by 332% and pet health products growing by over 100%.
JD.com has announced the official launch of its 2024 Singles Day Grand Promotion, set to begin at 8:00 P.M. on October 14. This year’s event will offer consumers an unmatched shopping experience with unbeatable deals, a vast selection of 1 billion newly released products, and enhanced customer services.
Building on the success of JD’s mid-year JD618 Grand Promotion, the event will continue to center around the theme of “Affordability and Quality.” Shoppers can expect significant price reductions on popular brands, cross-store coupons, and daily subsidies of RMB 60, making high-quality products more accessible at unbeatable prices.
Running from October 14 to November 11, the promotion will feature daily product launches for JD.com’s more than 600 million users. Highlights include flagship releases of the latest smartphones and generous trade-in incentives to encourage device upgrades.
To meet the diverse needs of its customers, the event will include special promotional events, such as Super Days, featuring flash sales with prices starting as low as RMB 1, free delivery on orders over RMB 9.9, and exclusive discounts for JD PLUS members. Livestream shopping events will also provide unique opportunities to discover and purchase products in real-time.
Over 100 industry-leading customer services will be available during the promotion to enhance the shopping experience. Notable services include the “one order for three tries” feature in the apparel category, which allows customers to order three items in different sizes or colors, keep the best fit, and return the others for free. In the home appliances category, JD is expanding its one-stop trade-in service nationwide. The enhanced service will now cover delivery, installation, dismantling, and recycling for a broader range of products, including TVs, refrigerators, lighting, toilets, and more.
In addition to JD’s signature same-day or next-day delivery service, the JD NOW on-demand retail service has partnered with over 600,000 physical stores across China to provide instant delivery, with delivery times as fast as nine minutes.
JD’s cross-border Global Sales service will also extend the Singles Day offers to customers in Singapore, the US, Japan, and other countries, providing diverse shipping options by air or sea to meet the needs of international shoppers. In Europe, JD’s omnichannel retail brand, ochama, will also join the Singles Day sale, offering doorstep delivery in 24 European countries.
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Competitive Pricing Through Scale and EfficiencyUncompromising Quality ControlBlurring the Boundaries Growing Appetite for Modern ShoppingHealth and wellnessFashion and beautycutting-edge technology leisure activitiesPet care