JD.com will host a week-long roadshow of “British Week” activities in the United Kingdom from June 22 to June 30 to enable more British brands to sell direct to consumers across China.
The program will include educational workshops and conferences for UK-based brands interested in the China market, and will culminate with the official launch of British Mall, a new online channel on JD.com showcasing the best of authentic British products.
“Chinese consumers appreciate the quality of British products, but the brands are only beginning to capitalize on the tremendous opportunity,” said Haoyu Shen, CEO of JD Mall. “Our British Week initiative aims to help more UK brands tap into this trend by providing them with the expertise, tools and support they need to access the China market quickly and easily. We look forward to strengthening our partnerships with brands and retailers across the UK.”
JD.com Inc. Fashion Conference
The roadshow will kick off on June 22 in London with the launch of the JD.com Inc. Fashion Conference, a one-day workshop tailored to British brands, designers and fashion retailers interested in accessing the China market. Apparel is one of the fastest growing categories on JD.com, and brands attending the workshop will learn how they can tap into the burgeoning demand from Chinese consumers for guaranteed authentic, high-quality imported fashion products.
Speakers, including executives from the JD.com apparel team, UK Trade & Investment, The Intellectual Property Office, DHL, and eCargo, will guide attendees through the process of selling directly to Chinese consumers via the general trade model or JD.com’s cross-border platform, which enables brands to access the market without needing to invest in a physical presence in China.
JD.com Worldwide Workshop and “British Mall” Launch
On June 29, JD.com Worldwide will organize a workshop covering the categories of baby & maternal products, beauty, healthcare, household products, FMCG, homeware, sport products, department stores, and supermarkets. It will invite representatives from UK Trade & Investment, The Intellectual Property Office and Tencent to share the insights with British brands on how to protect intellectual property rights, and how to leverage social media marketing to achieve success in China market.
The company will formally launch the latest country mall, British Mall, a curated channel on JD.com that will offer a wide range of authentic, high-quality products from leading UK brands to JD.com’s customers. Brands on British Mall will be able to leverage JD.com’s global logistics capabilities and unrivalled fulfillment network in China to reach Chinese consumers’ doorsteps.
British Brands Already Partnering with JD.com
Some of Britain’s best known brands, including retailer Marks & Spencer, Clarks footwear and others are already collaborating with JD.com to reach the company’s approximately 170 million active and interested consumers.
Many of JD.com’s UK-based partners leverage the company’s self-operated logistics network across China, which allows same- and next-day delivery coverage to hundreds of millions of consumers. Some of Scotland’s most famous whiskey brands including Chivas, Johnnie Walker, Glenfiddich, and Glenlivet also are reaching many new Chinese customers through JD.com, and the company is now the biggest retailer in China for these brands, with over a quarter of a million bottles of Scotch sold on JD.com in 2015 alone – an 85% increase versus 2014.