ByteDance’s Douyin makes instant refunds mandatory, following PDD, Taobao and JD.com amid fierce e-commerce competition

Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok that is betting big on e-commerce, has made its “express refund” policy mandatory, forcing merchants to immediately return money to consumers upon request to compete with similar offerings on Taobao and Pinduoduo. The platform operated by Beijing-based ByteDance, which added a shopping channel in 2019, allows users to get … Read more

New refund policies from Alibaba’s Taobao and JD.com spark fears of customer abuse among merchants

New “refund only” policies introduced by Chinese e-commerce players including Alibaba Group Holding’s Taobao and JD.com have sparked concern among some sellers about potential abuse of the terms, according to merchants and analysts. Taobao and JD.com in late December introduced new policies that – in certain circumstances – allow shoppers to receive a refund for … Read more

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com wins antitrust lawsuit against Alibaba, which was ordered by a Beijing court to pay US$141 million in damages

The Beijing High People’s Court on Friday ruled that Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post, “abused its market dominance” and conducted the monopolistic tactic known as “ picking one from two”, which caused damage to JD.com’s business, according to a statement released on the same day by the Beijing-based online retailer. JD.com hailed … Read more

Chinese e-commerce firms JD.com and Alibaba’s Taobao roll out ‘refund only’ policy to shoppers, heating up rivalry with budget retailer Pinduoduo

Cutthroat competition in China’s vast e-commerce sector is poised to escalate, as leading shopping platforms JD.com and Alibaba Group Holding’s Taobao offer a “refund only” policy so consumers can keep the goods they had bought but complained about – matching an option that budget online retailer Pinduoduo has had in place since 2021. JD.com on … Read more

Alibaba promotes millennials to key e-commerce leadership roles as it repositions to fend off rivals

Alibaba Group Holding is pushing millennials, typically defined as those born in the early 1980s to mid-1990s, to take key roles in the country’s largest online market, as the Hangzhou-based e-commerce giant repositions itself to fend off fierce competition from rivals such as PDD Holdings. The company’s Taobao and Tmall Group has promoted six young … Read more