In 2018, the focus of the China International Export Exposition conducted in Shanghai was on the import of agricultural products and advances in agricultural technology. The event also afforded opportunities for participants to make purchases of foreign commodities.
Among the first to make a move was online e-commerce giant JD.Com. It purchased a shipment of cherries from Australia. This represented the first time cherries were shipped directly from the Australian mainland to China.
JD Fresh is the fruit and producing selling arm of JD.Com. It guaranteed that the cherries would be no more than 12 hours old when they arrived in China from Australia. All consumers purchase cherries that are no more than 48 hours from picking. This remarkable feat is accomplished consistently thanks to the sophisticated international logistics capabilities developed by JD.
JD Fresh also purchased the first shipments of cherries originating in Chile and New Zealand. As the firm continues to solidify its procurement procedures and perfect its international supply chain, it has been forming key alliances with independent merchants who are selling fresh fruit products on the JD e-commerce platform.
Xiaozhou Zhou leads the fruit division for JD Fresh. He said it’s all about providing superior shopping experiences for JD.Com customers while also empowering third-party merchants to achieve their own business success. JD ensures that each merchant with which they collaborate is meeting the highest standards of quality and authenticity using a formal process they call the “JD High-Quality Authorization.”
Cherries are a product of heightened value in China. Even though the sweet-and-tart red fruit is grown domestically, there is a perception that imported cherries are a premium product. Cherries have long been considered a luxury item in China. This perception is evolving for a number of reasons, however.
First, there is a growing demographic of high-earning people who are willing to “splurge” on a box of cherries. Second, the price is coming down as firms like JD.Com develop strong supply chains and secure plentiful supplies from big producers like Chile and New Zealand. Third, cherries are valued as a special gift for festive occasions, such as celebrating the Chinese New Year. In fact, JD recently designed an attractive red box for cherries featuring the delightful image of a zodiacal cow to represent the Chinese New Year.
Despite its distance from China, Chile is emerging as an important supplier of cherries. That because the fruit is produced in significantly high volumes there, and the product is of superior quality. The wholesale price of Chilean cherries is also price competitive when compared to other Western Hemisphere suppliers, such as Canada and the United States.
A cherry merchant recently was named among the top 100 winning products during the JD.Com annual Gold List Awards. The Yidu Group was given the Gold Medal in the cherry category for its excellence in importing high-quality fruit from Chile to China.
The Gold List is JD’s “authoritative list and is considered the highest honor for products sold on the e-commerce platform. The rating is based on five key data points, these include sales, growth, customer reviews, brand power and overall popularity. The Gold List is selected from among 100 million goods sold on the JD platform. This underscores how significant an accomplishment it is to be names to the Gold List.