Tmall (Alibaba) has far more customers than JD. Because of the huge subscriber base, no matter which category or product type, you have a higher chance of finding target customer segments suited for your brand/product. Nearly half of Tmall users are under age 24. Because of this, apparel, skincare and cosmetics are major categories on Tmall. On the flip side, competition is intense. As a new store, you will need to invest in traffic building and sales growth. Tmall ranks stores on seven levels, according to sales performance and store management metrics. As you move up one level, your store will be assigned more share of organic traffic.
JD’s positioning of quick delivery times and authentic goods has helped the platform garner loyal users. These customers value quality and are less price sensitive. Due to its fulfilment speed, for brands that focus on servicing repeat customers, JD might be a better platform. But because of the underlying business model and JD’s search algorithm, store identity and brands receive less focus. JD is good for brands that already have mindshare among Chinese consumers.
