JD to kick off pre-sale on Singles Day four hours earlier

Chinese e-commerce giant JD said it will kick off the pre-sale on Singles Day shopping carnival at 8 pm on Wednesday, four hours earlier than previously, meaning that customers will not have to stay up late to enjoy the deep discounts this year.

The pre-sale will finish at 8 pm on October 31 when the official sales period begins. The final price off promotion will start at 8 pm on November 10, to allow consumers to place orders of high-quality and low-priced goods without having to pull an all-nighter.

According to JD, more than 400 million new products and over 700 million domestic goods that incorporate Chinese traditional style and culture will be launched during the shopping spree.

Meanwhile, JD has rolled out the on-demand "Nearby" channel on the app homepage in cooperation with Dada Group, China's leading local on-demand delivery and retail platform, to provide fast delivery services of high-quality products from stores in the vicinity of 3-5 kilometers based on the location of consumers.

As of now, 100,000 physical stores have been connected to JD's "Shop Now", a new business dedicated for JD's on-demand consumer retail section, in order to provide consumers with a more convenient and affordable online shopping experience within an hour and sometimes even minutes.