The Chinese tech giant has opened two stand-alone stores in the Netherlands where robots are responsible for order picking and delivery.
The opening of the two stores marks JD.com’s, which is a rival to Alibaba and intends to compete with Amazon Go stores, first foray into Europe. The two points of sale are located in the cities of Leiden and Rotterdam and are under the Ochama brand. Customers can select products via a dedicated app then go into the store and scan a barcode which will then prompt the in-store robots to identify and bring customers their desired items.
The store’s offering is broad, ranging from foodstuffs and beauty products to decoration and ready-to-wear items. A mini-warehouse holds the products and backs onto the entrance of the store. It does not employ any cashiers and items are displayed in the space which allows JD to reduce the price of items sold by 10 per cent.
