JD.com Pushes Past 700 Million Active Shoppers on Repeat Buying

JD.com has passed 700 million annual active customers in China. It is expanding offline stores and after-sales networks to generate repeat business beyond discount promotions.

During the 2025 11.11 shopping festival, the Beijing-based group lifted shopper numbers by 40 per cent year on year. Order volumes climbed nearly 60 per cent across digital and physical channels.

Building Out Physical Malls and Services

Customer retention now relies on in-house procurement, fulfilment, and post-purchase service rather than livestream discounts alone. That operational backbone gave JD.com an edge in high-consideration categories like smartphones, personal computing, and home appliances. In these segments, punctual delivery and installation support drive buyer choices.

Store expansion through JD Mall sites and electronics outlets now runs alongside new service categories. The group added food delivery, travel bookings, and home repair services to generate daily touchpoints that funnel transactions into core retail channels.

Targeting High-Value Brand Alliances

Pitching cross-border trade to international suppliers, the platform is targeting high-retention consumer tiers. Marcia Mao of JingDong Cross-Border spoke at the 2026 UK-China Brand Excellence Summit. She told overseas merchants that sustainable entry requires targeting specific buyer profiles instead of chasing raw traffic.

This strategy contrasts with rivals using heavy subsidies and flash sales to inflate gross merchandise volume. JD.com gives foreign brands direct control over inventory authenticity and customer service. That protects brand equity while domestic consumer spending stays cautious.

Running owned warehouses, installation crews, and shopping centres in lower-tier cities carries steep capital costs. Competing discount platforms run asset-light marketplaces with lower take-rates. Those setups give sellers cheaper entry points when consumer demand for general merchandise softens.

From Scale to Shopping Frequency

JD.com built its scale by investing billions of yuan in nationwide logistics hubs, promising next-day delivery across hundreds of mainland cities. The network proved essential when domestic e-commerce competition escalated in 2024. The group defended market share by turning reliable service into repeat purchases.

Chief executive Sandy Xu pointed to user engagement as the main driver for the company’s next stage of growth.

“We are also seeing encouraging signs from new initiatives, and we believe these emerging opportunities will further position us for long-term, high-quality growth,” Xu said.

The Next Test for Everyday Consumption

Management now faces the challenge of converting foot traffic from regional JD Malls into daily online orders across tier-two and tier-three cities.