China's biggest retailer is coming to America
China's JD.com is about to raise its level of access to the American customer. The retailer, claimin…China's JD.com is about to raise its level of access to the American customer. The retailer, claiming to be the largest in China to sell directly to customers, is opening a US online store with the help of Google soon.
The partnership, which was announced in June, will enable it to sell directly to US customers for the first time. Google will handle payments and behind-the-scenes order processing, but JD.com will have its own centers for shipping orders.
"We are shipping from US fulfilment centers to US end-customers," Bao Yan, JD.com's head of logistics, told Bloomberg. A representative for JD.com confirmed the plans to Business Insider, but said a launch date has not yet been set.
JD.com does not currently sell directly into America, but it does have a partnership to sell products in the US through Walmart. The Google partnership would be more direct. It's the first fruit of a partnership since Google revealed a $550 million investment in JD.com earlier this year.
JD.com claims to be the largest retailer in China, but it doesn't have much of an international presence yet. It operates more like a traditional retailer, akin to Amazon, not as a marketplace like Alibaba.