JD.com hails JD Plus milestone

Chinese retailer, JD.com, reports that over 10 million customers have joined its premium membership programme, JD Plus.

Launched in 2016, this enables faster accrual of JingDou loyalty points, which can be exchanged for products on JD, exclusive discounts on purchases and shipping, and 24-hour customer service. Members also receive benefits from the retailer's partners, including complimentary VIP membership on iQIYI, the Chinese online streaming video platform, bundled memberships between JD Plus and Walmart’s Sam’s Club and VIP treatment at Narada Hotels.

A report released by Nielsen shows that users tend to be fiercely loyal to the platform. According to JD, the renewal rate of JD Plus members is near 80%. They also spend much more money than non-plus members, with many users regularly splashing out 1,000 RMB monthly or well over this amount, it adds.

Members tend to be young, highly-educated professionals who mostly live in first or second tier cities, relying on the convenience of e-commerce to help manage their busy schedules, according to Nielsen’s report.

“JD was the first company to introduce the paying membership model to the Chinese e-commerce market, and we’re delighted to see millions of users enjoying the convenience and exclusive benefits offered by JD Plus,” says Chunhui Meng, Head of JD Plus.

“As offerings available to members expand to areas beyond traditional e-commerce, such as lifestyle and financial services, we will continue to create a retail membership experience that is unmatched in the industry.”