On 24 July, JD.com Instant Delivery officially announced former Chinese track and field athlete Liu Xiang as its spokesman. They released a short advertisement highlighting Liu Xiang’s remarkable achievements in past Olympic Games, his responses to fans’ thoughts, and the impressive speed of the JD.com Instant Delivery service. As a significant Olympic memory for the Chinese people, the partnership between Liu Xiang, the “Flying Man”, and JD.com quickly trended on Weibo sites. The topic #Liu Xiang, Thanks for Missing Me# garnered 6.9 million views, while another marketing topic, #Instant Delivery In Champion Speed#, amassed 91 million views.
Liu Xiang’s victory in the 110 metres hurdles at the 2004 Athens Olympics not only brought honour to Chinese athletics but also inspired countless individuals. A netizen commented, “JD.com Instant Delivery to send the official announcement of Liu Xiang as spokesman, especially remembering his 12.88 seconds world record, the man who created a miracle, will exemplify higher, faster, and stronger sportsmanship to the fullest.”
In the JD.com advertisement, the words include, “1.288 seconds can say a thank you for missing me, 12.88 seconds is the world record set by Liu Xiang, 128.8 seconds (about two minutes) is the speed of the JD.com Instant Delivery drone to deliver iced drinks, and 1,288 seconds (about 21 minutes) is the average delivery time of the JD.com Instant Delivery rider.”
The short film starts with “1288”, a number of great significance to Liu Xiang, therefore, using sentimental marketing to resonate with the audience. It allows Liu Xiang to continue the Olympic spirit of continuous progress and pursuit of excellence, reflecting JD.com Instant Delivery’s determination to bring consumers a “champion’s speed” service. During the Olympic Games, JD.com Instant Delivery will also launch an exclusive page, “Olympic Watching – Eating and Drinking Guide”, offering popular eating and drinking options and sports goodies for users.
In May this year, JD.com upgraded its two business integrations to JD.com Instant Delivery, offering the fastest 9-minute delivery shopping experience and covering more than 2,300 counties and cities nationwide, showcasing its ambition for the instant retail market. Aside from JD.com, Meituan, Alibaba, Douyin, and other giants are accelerating their layouts in the instant retail business. According to a report, instant retail has been maintaining an average annual growth rate of more than 50% in recent years, with the market size expected to reach trillions of RMB by 2026.
Instant retail scenarios are constantly expanding, from initial catering takeaway and supermarket delivery to fruits, medicine, fresh food, and flowers. “JD.com Instant Delivery” even covers all categories and has appeared in the most prominent position on the home page of the JD.com App. Dada Express, the delivery carrier for JD.com Instant Delivery, saw the number of Dada’s active shops on the JD.com App increase by more than 80% year-on-year in the first quarter. The average monthly number of users placing orders on the JD.com App and the volume of orders both achieved YoY growth of more than 70%, accelerating by more than 50% from the fourth quarter of last year.
Beyond China, JD.com-owned European omnichannel retail brand Ochama recently announced it will provide 1-hour express delivery for customers in much of Amsterdam, between 9am and 11pm. During other times, Ochama guarantees delivery before 10am the next day. This marks JD bringing the latest trend of (almost) instant delivery overseas.
