JD and Toyota partner to expand auto services business

FAW Toyota, a joint venture between Toyota Motor Company and First Automobile Works, has launched a flagship store on JD.com, China’s largest retailer, allowing customers in China to purchase and schedule maintenance services online and then bring their vehicles to FAW Toyota’s offline service centers at their convenience.

In addition to auto services, customers can easily purchase a variety of automobile parts and related products.

After making their online purchases, customers will receive a verification code on their phones, which they can use at FAW Toyota’s offline ‘4S’ stores to redeem their parts, supplies, installation or repair services.

Auto parts and supplies can also be delivered directly to customers’ homes.

The partnership was concluded to improve customers’ level of convenience while FAW Toyota will gain insights from the various data it will collect from the platform such as age, gender, and purchasing behavior of shoppers.

As one of the latest applications of its “Boundaryless Retail” strategy, last month JD launched a new offline automotive initiative called JD Auto Service, known in Chinese as Jingdong Jingche Hui.

The initiative already includes nearly 200 third-party offline car repair stores.

Through JD Auto Service, customers can buy auto parts or maintenance services on JD.com, and then go to a JD Auto Service location for installation.

To ensure high-quality service, each of the offline stores is screened to meet JD’s strict standards before joining the network.

JD has been leveraging its advanced e-commerce capabilities and offline resources to expand into China’s booming automotive aftermarket business.

The company’s omnichannel model now covers the entire purchasing process for car parts and services.

JD currently has partnerships with over 30,000 authorized offline auto stores for complementary service.

Chinese car owners have so far responded enthusiastically to JD’s omnichannel network.