Chinese E-commerce Giant JD.com Accelerates Cross-border Trade with Thailand

BEIJING,June 23,2021 -- JD.com,China's largest retailer,announced a record-breaking transaction volume of RMB 343.8 billion yuan (~1,680 THB billion) during its 618 Grand Promotion (June 1 to June 18).

COVID-19 travel restrictions have spurred enormous growth in cross-border e-commerce business. Thai products sell remarkably well on JD.com and are hugely popular among the company's over 500 million customers. Over 200 brands from Thailand including SMOOTHE,POY SIAN,SCOTCH,VEET joined the 618 Grand Promotion,with 260,000 durian sold. Sales of Thai herbal wax increased 9075% YOY in the first 10 days from June 1 to June 10. Rice,latex pillows,face masks and bird's nests also saw remarkable growth on the platform.

China has been Thailand's largest trading partner for years. Mr. Sittikorn Chantadansuwan,Minister Counsellor from the Royal Thai Embassy in Beijing said,"We attach great importance to cross-border e-commerce to promote the bilateral trade with China. JD.com is a leading platform that will help more Thai products reach Chinese customers."

"Products from Thailand are among the most popular among Southeast Asian origins on JD's cross-border e-commerce platform," said Yao Li,senior manager of business development at JD Worldwide. "As the preferred tourist destination in Southeast Asia,Thailand is favored by Chinese people for its unique culture,fresh produce and natural products."

The flagship store launched by JD.com and CENTRAL GROUP on JD Worldwide has seen an annual growth rate of over 50% since its launch in 2018.

JD.com launched its first international chartered flight on May 28 with a route between Shenzhen and Bangkok,facilitating delivery of goods from mainland China to customers in Thailand and vice versa within 48 hours.

"While the epidemic has accelerated cross-border trade,it has also considerably reduced the air transport capacity in the SEA region," said Daoyuan Chen,assistant president and head of strategic projects at JD International Logistics. "Taking advantage of our in-house logistics networks in both China (JD.com) and Thailand (JD CENTRAL),we have seen nearly 100% capacity in products shipped in the air cargo since its inaugural flight."

Korlarp Suwacharangkul,Chief Marketing Officer of JD CENTRAL,revealed that cross borer business at JD CENTRAL in 2020 has an impressive growth of 200% compared to 2019. The most popular Thai products among Chinese are within the food & beverage category,while household appliances from China are popular in Thailand.