Google announces JD.com partnership
Google is to invest $550 million in Chinese e-commerce giant, JD.com, as part of a strategic partnership geared towards creating “helpful, personalised and frictionless shopping experiences”.
The deal, for a less than 1% stake, closely follows a Carrefour/Google partnership that, from early 2019, will enable shoppers to buy the former’s products through Google platforms including Home, Assistant and a new Google shopping website in France. For JD.com, it’s a significant move against its biggest rival Alibaba, which has embarked on a major expansion strategy across Southeast Asia, Europe and the US.
The two are planning to apply JD’s supply chain and logistics expertise and Google’s technology strengths across a range of initiatives, including development of retail solutions in such regions as Southeast Asia, the US and Europe. The former also plans to make a selection of products available for sale through Google Shopping in multiple regions.
“This partnership opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers throughout the world,” says JD.com’s Chief Strategy Officer Jianwen Liao. “This marks an important step in the process of modernising global retail. As we celebrate our 18th June anniversary sale, this partnership opens a new chapter in our history.”