JD.com books 100 million orders in a one-day sale

JD.com Inc., one of China’s biggest online retail players, generated more than 100 million orders June 18 during its annual midyear sale day, a 60% increase over last year.

Overseas brands shared in the growth. German sports brand Adidas grew its sales on JD.com by 10 times last year’s sale, while Puma’s sales increased six times and German cookware brand WMF five times, according to JD.com. Sales on the Haiwaigou section of JD.com featuring foreign brands increased 12 times over last year.

JD.com, No. 1 in the Internet Retailer 2016 China 500, does not report the value of sales during its annual promotion, a number that would invite comparison with competitor Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s huge sales on China’s now-annual online sale extravaganza Singles’ Day, which occurs every Nov. 11. Alibaba reported sales on its sites of $14.3 billion on Singles’ Day 2015.

Alibaba, whose massive web shopping portals Taobao and Tmall account for a majority of online retail sales in China, is not ranked in the Internet Retailer China 500 because Alibaba, like eBay Inc., only operates those marketplaces and is not the merchant of record for the sales that take place.

JD.com, which this week bought Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s China e-commerce business, says 85% of the orders placed on June 18 came from mobile devices. But it wasn’t only young consumers placing those orders: JD reports the number of buyers 36 to 45 years old grew 69% this year versus last. The top terms searched by consumers on JD.com that day: Buy three get one free, watch, T-shirt, Adidas, summer mat.

Here are the top brands during the sales event by category, according to JD.com: