Why JD.com Built 101HOME: The Case for Experiential Furniture Retail (1 of 2) (Tech Strategy)

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JD has a long history of experiments in physical retail. Lots of different formats. Which they either operate directly or by partnership. This includes:

  • 30 JD Malls
  • +3,000 electronics stores
  • 19,000 appliance stores. Primarily operating via franchise and partner models.
  • 150,000 connected pharmacies. A network of digitized, connected partner pharmacies using JD’s supply chain and SaaS management tools.
  • 2,500 JD auto stores. JD’s automotive maintenance, tire, and repair franchise chain.
  • 70 7Fresh supermarkets

And they have just announced a new retail format for furniture called 101HOME.

It’s a really good idea. I like furniture retail as a business. So does Warren Buffet. More on that below.

The Basics of JD’s 101HOME. With Cool Photos.

On September 23, 2026, JD.com announced the opening of its first 101HOME store in Shanghai’s Jing An District (my old neighborhood).

The store was a shift from a traditional furniture store focused on products, to a more premium, experiential home and lifestyle retail destination. 101HOME is 12,000sqm across 4 floors.

JD says it is a “seamless shopping upon seeing experience, allowing consumers to explore new possibilities for their homes and discover the art of everyday living.”

Basically, it’s “experiential retail” applied to furniture and home decor. With a big upgrade.

Home furniture is one of the few product categories that is inherently in-person and experiential. Nobody buys a sofa without sitting on it first. That makes the category resistant to purely online competitors.

At 101HOME, consumers can explore complete home designs, feel the products in person and scan to purchase directly in store.

And, of course, customers simply scan the items they want to buy directly through the JD app.

And then JD logistics handles delivery.

The store also has tons of brands and products, with a focus on showing new products and brands.

From the JD press release:

“The Shanghai 101HOME brings together more than +1,000 full category home and lifestyle brands, including:

  • +30 international brands making their China debut.
  • And more than +150 domestic making their JD.com debut.

It features more than 15,000 carefully selected products, including over 2,000 exclusive products and more than 1,000 new product launches.”

International brands include “Swiss furniture brand Vitra; US design and office furniture brand Herman Miller; Italian furniture brand Gervasoni, lighting brands Flos and Artemide; Danish design houses Fritz Hansen, ferm LIVING, and GUBI.”

That’s another strength.

Successful furniture retail stores benefit from the fact that customers want to see them in person, which eliminates online competition.

They also benefit from the fact that customers want a big selection. And that is actually hard to offer. It means you need a big space and inventory. So that eliminates smaller stores as competitors.

Here are some photos from the Shanghai store.

But the biggest pitch by 101HOME is the furnished rooms you can walk through. They call this the “Dream Homes”.

From the press release:

“At the heart of 101HOME are 33 “Dream Homes”…The Shanghai store features spaces created by British designer Kelly Hoppen CBE, and Japanese designers Shuhei Aoyama and Takashi Honma”

“Consumers can step into fully designed home settings and see how furniture, lighting and furnishings come together, offering inspiration for their own homes.”

The walk through rooms are a big value to customers. Especially when they are done by renowned designers. Some photos.

There is also 101HOME CARE renovation service.

This means the home designs can be customized. Even the Dream Home designs can be adapted to individual homes and their floorplans.

And finally, there is JD.com’s logistics and supply chain capabilities. Which are a big part of this.

JD has world class logistics and sourcing capabilities. In China and increasingly globally. Only 2 other companies can match JD in smart logistics. For furniture and home design, that means integrated delivery, installation and after-sales services. More on this below.

Cafes and Art? Where 101HOME Gets Really Innovative

Ok, the above summary is a pretty solid offering.

It’s a traditional physical furniture and home retailer that benefits from the scale, tech and logistics capabilities of JD. That means it can offer more products, greater convenience and superior logistics and delivery. I’ll detail this more in Part 2.

That’s great. But not surprising.

But then 101HOME goes down a different path. It starts to get really creative with its business model.

It has some interesting services.

Such as the ICE BOUQUET and here café, a popular coffee café from Kyoto. See the picture below. ICE BOUQUET is apparently known for its floral-inspired gelato.

Gelato is not something you normally sell in a furniture store.

101HOME also has DEVINE’R NYC, a New York coffee and lifestyle brand.

There is also Foyer de Lumiere, a Japanese-French bistro, making its mainland China debut.

The wine shop 101 Wine offers more than 300 Burgundy wines sourced through limited allocations, with over 100 available by the glass. They claim 101HOME is China’s most extensive by-the-glass selection of allocated Burgundy wines.

There is also JUANZONG Books; a space for reading.

And there are tons of smaller home furnishings, art prints, sculptures, and design objects. This is important.

Small decor, lighting, vases, and tableware are displayed throughout 33 curated “Dream Homes”. Using 101HOME’s “shopping upon seeing” model, shoppers can scan QR codes on any small decorative item in the showroom to buy it instantly on the spot.

Finally, there are 7 public artworks across different floors.

So, what is JD doing?

That’s is a pretty complicated retail operation. With everything from famous designers creating showrooms to libraries, art and wine by the glass.

This is actually good strategy. I’ll break down what they are doing in the next article. But here’s the short answers.

101HOME is Using Experiences and Logistics to Seriously Increase and Differentiate Customer Value in Retail Furniture

First, a quick summary of JD’s approach to ecommerce and retail.

The Basics of JD’s Strategy

I’ve been writing about JD for +10 years. I could literally write a book about JD’s strategy (and their history).

Here is the simplest version of JD’s strategy.

1. JD always focuses on increasing and differentiating customer value.

This is their North Star.

  • How do we increase our value to customers?
  • What can we do for customers that others cannot?

And from its founding in 1999, JD has always had clear answers to those questions.

They offer:

  • Quality products. They offer a lot of products. Having a big selection is important. But they actually offer far fewer SKUs than Alibaba. They are far more selective. You never get fake or damaged goods from JD.
  • Good prices. They are aggressive here. They are good at price wars. But JD also positions as the higher quality and more trusted retailer. About 20% of the market. 
  • Quality service. Which has mostly meant better customer service and logistics. They invest big in these areas. This increasingly means better retail experiences.

I’ll detail how 101Home is mostly about attempting to dramatically increase customer value in furniture retail.  It’s a big change from buying furniture online (which sucks) and traditional furniture retail stores.

2. JD (almost) always leads with their strengths in logistics and supply chain.

JD is a logistics-centric business. Sometimes I think it is more of a logistics company than a retailer.

It leverages this strength into most of its services. It’s how they differentiate in customer value. They can deliver in 12 hours anywhere in China, which most cannot. They can do cross-border in days. 

And this clearly plays out in furniture, which is bulky and hard to store and deliver. JD Logistics actually has an entire service line for bulky logistics. And it turns out importing international furniture is problematic. 101HOME is focusing on both of these problems. 

3. JD also focuses on improving services for brands and merchants.

JD is a direct retailer, which is why 1 and 2 are really important.

But JD is also a marketplace. This is how it expands beyond its core products to a larger assortment. And it is how they expand into lower priced items.

So, serving merchants and brands as a second user group is also important. 101HOME does focus on this as this. More on this below.

How 101Home Improves and Differentiate in Furniture and Home Retail 

Ok, let’s look at 101HOME again with that framework.

  • How does this store increase and differentiate the value to customers?
  • How is JD leveraging its strengths in logistics and sourcing?

That seems obvious at first.

  • A Larger and Better Selection.
    • It is offering a broader range of styles (+1,000 brands). And it is offering lots of international design choices (+30 international brands are making their JD debut). 
    • Including exclusive and limited edition products. There are lots of collaborations with designers and artists.
  • A More Emotional Experience than Typical Retail.
    • This is a pleasant place to visit and relax. It is immersive. You can explore and discover new possibilities. You can find something new every time you visit. Typical furniture stores do not have an emotional component for customers. 

That’s good. That’s a solid upgrade to physical furniture / home decor retail.

But then JD leans heavily into their global sourcing and logistics capabilities. They are improving the customer experience in furniture imports.

  • 101HOME Is Also About Solving the Pain Points of Premium International Furniture Imports.
    • Buying higher quality international furniture in China is problematic.
      • There is limited stock availability. Most furniture stores have few styles in their showrooms. Let alone available in inventory. 101HOME says they have “ready to delivery inventory” for their international brands. JD is leaning into its global sourcing capabilities.
      • Long delivery lead times. JD says they can deliver in 1-3 days (mostly). They are leaning into their domestic logistics capabilities. 
      • Complex logistics and installation. Do local installers understand foreign brands? 
      • Inconsistent after sales services. If you have a problem, where do you go for repairs and issues? Do you have to call the brand overseas.
    • JD is basically solving all these problems. It is about being able to import international furniture easily and with confidence. 

That’s all great. 101HOME looks a lot like typical JD strategy.

But there are problems with this. 

And it turns out furniture retail has big weaknesses. 

I’ll go into that in Part 2. And how JD is trying to solve them.

Cheers, Jeff

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Related articles:

From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:

  • Ecommerce / Retail
  • Logistics

From the Company Library, companies for this article are:

  • JD: 101HOME

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I am a founder, consultant and keynote speaker specialized in digital and AI agentic strategy.

I am the founder of Agentic Org Now, a firm that helps leadership teams launch AI and agentic initiatives fast.

I write (a lot) about digital and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). You can get a free book at the email sign-up below.

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