E-commerce giants team up to reach female shoppers

China's second-largest e-commerce player JD and leading fashion e-commerce platform Meili Inc announced on Thursday the establishment of a new joint venture, as JD hopes to tap more female shoppers to compete with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's Tmall.

The new company will build and operate a social commerce platform leveraging JD's current level-one entry point on WeChat, Tencent's popular social media platform. This will enable the platform and its merchants to reach a broader customer base with innovative and interactive features.

The platform will help to attract more merchants and expand the selection of products available through JD's shopping entry point at WeChat, particularly in apparel, where Meili excels. Merchants selling through the new platform will gain access to JD's logistics network and customer service offer.