JD.com to launch US online store with Google soon

JD.com is coming to America.
AP/Ng Han Guan

• China’s JD.com
  will soon have a flagship online store on Google.
• It will be the first time the Chinese e-commerce giant
  can sell directly to US customers.
• The partnership was announced in June, when Google
  invested $550 million in JD.com.
• The partnership comes as rising trade tensions threaten
  to derail partnerships with Chinese companies selling in the
  US.

China’s JD.com is about to get more access to the American
customer. 

The retailer, which claims to be the largest in China to sell
directly to customers, is opening a US online store with the help
of Google soon,

according to Bloomberg. 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 fulfillment 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, and not as a marketplace
like Alibaba.

JD.com’s arrival on US shores comes as Amazon is
solidifying its hold on US e-commerce. Google could be looking to
get in on ad-based product searches, a growing field for
advertising that is currently one of
Amazon’s fastest-growing businesses.

But it also comes at a uncertain time, as it seems trade tensions
between the US and China will not let up anytime soon. It’s
unclear how that will affect JD.com’s plans.

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