Reports in Chinese media yesterday claimed JD.com and Douyin reached a partnership, where the former would integrate its shopping cart into the popular short-video app for its 618 Shopping Festival.
Then, in a statement to 36Kr, Douyin’s parent Bytedance said the reports were not entirely inaccurate. The company clarified that it had launched its own shopping cart, and that access to JD.com, in addition to other e-commerce platforms, would be possible via its mini-app platform.
JD.com rang alarm bells yesterday when an internal email from founder and chairman Richard Liu said the company had a runway of fewer than two years on based on current funding, with losses in 2018 exceeding RMB 2.8 billion (USD 417.5 million). The company has failed to turn a profit in the past 12 years and recently implemented cost-cutting measures including canceling basic salaries for couriers amid rumored layoffs.
A tie-in with Douyin could help JD.com reach new users and drive sales.
ByteDance launched mini-program features in Jinri Toutiao and Douyin in September and October last year, respectively, and recently tweaked Jinri Toutiao’s interface design to improve accessibility to these programs.
