On July 12, JD.com made a statement on Weibo implying that Alibaba's Tmall is a monopolistic player in China's e-commerce market. The statement, which was made jointly with Vipshop, said that merchants and brands have been forced to sign exclusive business deals with Tmall or face penalties such as reduced marketing resources, decreased search results and even the possibility of being blocked by Alibaba.
Following Jing Daily's official report, we have been surveying the commentary on Weibo to gauge public sentiment. While immediately following JD's post, the commentary was mostly negative, today, it's a bit more balanced. Here is a selection of comments posted by Chinese consumers under JD's original statement post to give you a sense of the current conversation.
A man like a wind#
: I fully support JD. I first consider JD if I need to buy stuff online. I only check Taobao if JD does not offer it. The interface of Taobao is really ugly and the delivery is also slow. I feel the middle class now prefers to shop on JD as it is fast and provides great service. Taobao is too low, only Diaosi* likes to shop there.
Eating with Shan#
: Don't waste your time boycotting. You should focus on understanding your problem. It takes five days to deliver a microwave in Xi'an. Is that the kind of delivery service that you're proud of? I really regret becoming a Plus Member.
Little Hui 07#
: The market needs competition. The monopoly is horrible. If I shop online, I usually choose JD.
Bi Xiaomo#
(Verified account): Buy womenswear at JD? I don't think so. This is not something can simply be changed by a partnership with Vipshop. Do you really think merchants see Jack Ma as a god? Remember, they only care about their business interests. They only care about platforms that can help them make money. Don't take yourself too seriously on this issue.
China Post Newspaper#
(Verified account): Firmly boycott the unfair competition.
Lian Xiaoxi#
:
#
You have the problem but you blame it on others. You cannot operate the businesses well but ask your wife to come out to catch the attention. Liu Qiangdong, when do you think you can make JD a good enterprise?
Tony from the earth#
: Why do you only focus on criticizing Tmall with Tencent? Can you please provide better products and services? All the merchants who have ever worked with you understand the problem. Tmall wins the market with its good reputation, but you only rely on sensational fake news.
Galaxy#
: I trust JD and hope you will keep the good momentum up.
* Diaosi is slang for people who don't have a lot of money or taste.