In this podcast episode of Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, Jeffrey Towson discusses the competitive advantages of JD and Alibaba, two of the largest retailers in China. He argues that JD’s competitive advantages include its strong logistics network and its focus on customer service, while Alibaba’s competitive advantages include its large user base and its ability to connect buyers and sellers.
Category Archives: Digital-Physical Hybrids
How Huawei Is Turning Smart Cities Into Operating Systems (1 of 2)
I keep an eye out for digital phenomena where China / Asia is on the frontier. We’ve seen this sort of digital leadership in mobile apps, mobile payments and e-commerce. And after meeting with head of smart cities at Huawei, I am convinced we are seeing the same phenomenon in smart cities. Below is my […]
JD Cool Stuff #2: Trash Sorting Apps and How Smart Cities Are Becoming Operating Systems (2 of 3)
This is Part 2 on my list of cool stuff JD is doing. Not necessarily the big initiatives – but the smaller and often more inventive ideas. In Part 1, I talked about their farming initiative, which is pretty intriguing. In this part, I look at their trash sorting program and how China’s smart cities […]
Should Vipshop Build a Logistics Network Like JD? (Tech Strategy – Podcast 7)
Jeffrey Towson argues that Vipshop could benefit from building its own logistics network, like JD. He says that this would give Vipshop more control over its supply chain and delivery times. However, he also acknowledges that this would be a major investment.