Chinese online retailer JD.com has opened two new pop-up stores at Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) and Hohhot East Railway station in Inner Mongolia.

According to the company, which is expanding its retail offering into airports and railway stations along with convenience stores, supermarkets and partnerships with hotels, the stores leverage its latest retail technology in order to make it easier ‘and more enjoyable’ to purchase on the go.

Located in the Terminal 3 departure lounge at BCIA for the next three months, the pop-up will offer travel items including daily necessities, clothing, mobile accessories, beauty products and bags and suitcases.

SMART STORE TECHNOLOGY

JD.com said the store utilised its smart store technology to understand how customers interacted with products and which products to offer them. The integrated JD Zu Chongzhi platform can analyse customer behaviour and traffic flow. It can generate heat-maps, to assist with product selection and inventory management, ensuring smooth store operations.

A BCIA spokesperson said: “Beijing Capital International Airport is delighted to be hosting one of JD’s pop-up stores. The new shop, which offers popular items among travellers, will not only offer the products they want to buy most on their journeys, but allow them to personally experience what shopping of the future, brought to them by China’s largest and most innovative retailer will be like.”

Meanwhile, China Railway Express and JD have partnered to open a 100sq m unnamed convenience store at Hohhot East Railway. According to the company, this store also exploits JD’s technological capabilities, with features such as facial recognition payment and smart vending machines. The vending machines automatically process payments once customers select their products and close the door of the machines.

The store will also use a Mini Programme in WeChat in due course, so customers can choose to buy on the spot and take their purchases with them or shop online and have them delivered to a convenient location.

Bing Zhang, General Manager of JD Social E-commerce and Retail Innovation said he was thrilled the company’s store technologies were being rolled out in the travel market.

“Many of our customers enjoy shopping while travelling and we’re determined to ensure they benefit from the convenience of JD wherever they are,” he remarked. “The new stores in Beijing and Inner Mongolia will provide them with a truly seamless experience that is unrivalled anywhere.”