How JD.com Leverages User Experience to Beat the Competition

Every June, JD.com’s 618 shopping festival heats up, and other e‑commerce giants scramble to compete, emphasizing that the core competitive edge is user experience. Liu Qiangdong has repeatedly stressed that superior user experience can surpass any rival.

JD.com is a symbolic leader in Chinese e‑commerce, investing heavily in self‑built logistics, a strong self‑operated model, and a zero‑tolerance stance on counterfeit goods. In 2010, JD.com introduced “same‑day delivery,” which later became an industry benchmark.

According to Liu Qiangdong’s book My Business Model , the core of JD.com’s strategy is user experience . The company insists that no department may say “No” to any initiative that improves user experience.

JD.com emphasizes “front‑end user experience, back‑end cost efficiency” and a “customer‑first” value. While its user experience is strong, it still aims to close the gap with its goals.

The company’s “NO principle” states that if a request cannot be disproven with data, or if it benefits user experience, no one may refuse it.

Key factors that determine user experience: price, service, product.

These three factors require robust logistics, information, and financial systems. When these systems are optimized, JD.com can compete effectively on price, service, and product quality.

Price: JD.com deliberately keeps margins low, passing profits to consumers by selling at 0.9 yuan when competitors sell at 1 yuan, maintaining competitiveness without sacrificing profitability.

Logistics, information, and finance form the “inverted triangle” strategy, focusing on cost and efficiency, which directly influences product pricing.

Service: Over 34 nodes and hundreds of processes ensure a flawless user experience, with logistics accounting for about 70% of the overall experience.

From order placement to final transaction—including returns—JD.com monitors roughly 34 major nodes and over 100 specific actions; any failure can degrade user experience.

Product: JD.com commits to never selling counterfeit or low‑quality goods, even at the cost of short‑term profit, viewing the business as a long‑term investment rather than a quick‑gain venture.

In summary, regardless of innovation, a e‑commerce company cannot ignore user experience; it demands substantial time and resources to perfect.