CEO Spotlight: Liu Qiangdong and JD.com Push Forward with a Responsible Supply Chain Focus

The rapid rise of Liu Qiangdong and JD.com has been aided by Qiangdong’s focus on creating a reliable and steady supply chain – something that would become increasingly important during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the wake of new variants and with the benefit of past performance, JD,com and its executives are prepared to continue driving growth in the coming years. Richard Qiangdong Liu, also known as Richard Liu, is the founder and chairman of China e-commerce firm JD.com; he stepped down as CEO in April 2022. Liu has a net worth of $13.4 billion. 

Multi-Pronged Efforts

The success of Liu Qiangdong in engineering growth for JD.com has come down largely to the founder’s multi-pronged approach. Qiangdong came from a background in brick-and-mortar retail sales, shuttering his business when the SARS epidemic would first break out in 2003. A few years later, Qiangdong would establish JD.com and, since then, the company has been rapidly growing into a multi-pronged vector for retail.

As more than just a supply chain-based service and tech provider, JD.com has expanded its supply chain to become more responsible and more reliable through physical warehousing, fulfillment networks, deliveries, and even brick-and-mortar outlets. These facts were echoed during the 19th JD618 Grand Promotion which was led by JD Retail CEO, Lijun Xin. Xin said in a statement, “JD.com is ready to embrace the era of supply chain value.”

During the Grand Promotion, which was themed after Responsible Supply Chains, the team provided plenty of insight into what they were doing to continue to elevate JD.com in the era following the heights of the COVID pandemic.

Among the most important information revealed by JD.com during the Grand Promotion was:

• Service Quality Is Integral – One of the most important highlights of the Grand Promotion was how integral service quality was to the entire consumer experience. Qiangdong’s company alluded to warranties, free trials, and insurance programs as key indicators that consumers were looking for quality as well as affordability.
• Omni-Channel Success – With physical warehousing, fulfillment networks, and even brick-and-mortar shops through the Shop Now Program, JD has on-demand services that exceed other competitors. JD.com presently features major flagship stores in more than 12 cities around the nation, including Wuhu, Nanjing, Yangzhou, and Liuzhou.
• Reliable Supply Chain – A network of logistics facilities coupled with new brick-and-mortar retail outlets and shipping delivery methods has seen JD.com establish itself as a truly responsible and reliable supply chain.  Through this complete cycle of facilities in the supply chain, JD.com guarantees better product circulation and, ultimately, a more effective consumer experience.

As Liu Qiangdong continues to foster growth in the company he has worked with for decades, the team is increasingly pivoting toward greener and greener solutions. With a focus on its Green Impact Initiative, Liu Qiangdong and the JD.com team have helped usher more than 580 million active users toward greener options with energy-saving products, sustainable goods, and energy-saving appliances. This all coincides with JD’s aspiration to become a better supply chain to support people “from cities and villages to have a vibrant life.”

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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the CEOWORLD magazine.