The retail stores branded 'Ochama' operate under a hybrid model with online ordering and pick-up shops.
According to the company's statement, the first two retail stores will locate in Leiden and Rotterdam, and JD.com plans to open another two in Amsterdam and Utrecht soon. Ochama stores present JD.com's two focuses on logistics and e-commerce and the ambition to expand its presence beyond China.
Ochama has rolled out its own app for customers to order products from food to a whole bundle of household products at home. Customers can then go to the physical store, where lines of robots will pick, sort and transfer the orders through a conveyer belt to customers. The orders can also be delivered directly to the home.
This experimental move from JD.com poses a challenge to Amazon, as the US retail behemoth has already launched its robotics shop called 'Amazon Go.' JD.com still makes most of its revenue in China, but due to the slower growth of consumer spending, fiercer competition and stricter regulations there, the company is actively expanding in the global market.