Similar to how Amazon is the go-to online retailer in the United States, JD.com is China's second-largest website for buying everything from smartphones to soda. On June 18, Google announced that it's partnering with JD.com and plans to invest $550 million in the company.
Per Karim Temsamani, Google's President of Asia-Pacific Operations:
We want to accelerate how retail ecosystems deliver consumer experiences that are helpful, personalized and offer high quality service in a range of countries around the world, including in Southeast Asia. By applying JD.com's supply chain and logistics expertise and our technology strengths, we're going to explore new ways retailers can make shopping effortless for their consumers, giving them the power to shop wherever and however they want.
Temsamani calls this a "strategic partnership" with JD.com, and in addition to the monetary investment, JD.com will also be included as a merchant on Google Shopping in multiple regions
E-commerce is currently exploding in the Asia-Pacific region, with people expected to spend an upwards of $88.1 billion by 2025 on online purchases.
A partnership with one of the world's largest companies is a huge win for JD.com, and it'll be interesting to see if Google buddies up with any other shopping brands going forward.
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