JD.com has "slashed" the prices of down jackets

Author | Wang Xiaojuan

Editor | Zhou Zhiyu

It's that time of year again when people buy down jackets.

For many consumers accustomed to "showing off savings," finding a down jacket with a high cost-performance ratio has become a tricky task recently.

Recently, many consumers have been eyeing the large coupons and discounts on e-commerce platforms for clothing, preparing to take advantage of the deals.

Compared to offline stores, well-known down jacket brands have also settled on mainstream e-commerce platforms, where online discounts can be stacked, and after-sales services are more convenient.

With more brands available, platforms are also focusing on bulk purchases.

On the day Double Eleven started, JD.com launched a true 50% off promotion for clothing; Tmall issued clothing discount coupons, with an additional discount of 50 yuan for purchases over 300 yuan; both platforms also offered large member coupons, making it possible for consumers to find a satisfactory down jacket.

Data also reflects the effects of promotions from platforms and brands.

According to the State Post Bureau, from October 21 to 23, the national postal express industry collected about 1.92 billion express packages, a year-on-year increase of 48.7%.

From the platform perspective, according to data from the third-party agency Magic Mirror, during the first wave of sales for Tmall's Double Eleven, the total transaction volume in the beauty, home appliance, digital 3C, and clothing industries increased by 146% compared to the same period last year.

On October 31, JD.com also released a report on the Double Eleven phase, indicating that the number of new users in the clothing and beauty sectors increased by over 140% year-on-year, while the transaction volume for down jackets grew by 230% year-on-year.

The well-established domestic down jacket brand Yalu stated that as of now, its transaction volume during this year's Double Eleven has increased by 500% compared to last year.

Yalu mentioned that it has also felt the empowerment from the platforms during this Double Eleven.

For example, JD.com’s clothing division and brands co-created to promote more products, assisted sales through live streaming and celebrity collaborations, and utilized the platform's 10 billion yuan and true 50% off promotions for explosive sales.

Additionally, such significant growth is also attributed to brands and platforms recognizing the changes in down jacket consumption trends in recent years.

The two most important trends are that consumers are beginning to favor domestic brands and are becoming more rational in their consumption, placing a strong emphasis on cost-performance ratio, with products in the price range of 401 to 600 yuan being the most popular. Moreover, influenced by the Gorpcore trend, consumers are paying more attention to the waterproof, windproof, and breathable properties of down jackets.

In response to the changing consumption trends, brands are choosing targeted strategies. For instance, another down jacket brand, Duck Baby, which has entered JD.com, developed the Ice Peak series of bread down jackets, designed based on young people's dressing preferences, featuring double cold resistance and four-layer temperature locking functions to meet dressing needs in different scenarios, aligning closely with this year's trends. As a down jacket brand "born" in Harbin, this series is also designed to celebrate the Asian Winter Games to be held in Harbin in 2025.

After product updates, the final decision to place an order still comes down to cost-performance ratio.

This year, many industries have mentioned rising costs, and down jackets are no exception.

Firstly, the breeding volume of ducks and geese has been affected by pork prices, leading to a reduction in downstream breeding; secondly, consumers' quality requirements for down jackets are increasing, with different down jackets needed for different scenarios, resulting in increased demand for products, which in turn has led to a shortage of down raw materials and rising down prices Currently, 90% white goose down has increased by 73% compared to last year, and 90% white duck down has increased by 60% compared to last year.

In this situation, it becomes more difficult for merchants to ensure cost-effectiveness while maintaining quality; for consumers, finding products with better cost-effectiveness is even harder.

JD.com introduced that some clothing brands will set up dedicated production lines for JD.com to supply specific large items. Brands such as Hailan Home, Semir, Duck Duck, Xuezhongfei, and Yalu will jointly launch exclusive down jackets with JD Fashion, with nearly 300 styles already released this year.

After joining JD.com, merchants have also received empowerment from JD.com.

Yalu also mentioned that JD.com's supply chain system can provide efficient delivery for Yalu's products, such as "211 Timely Delivery" and "JD Instant Delivery," with the fastest delivery in 9 minutes.

Additionally, based on sales data, JD.com provides inventory suggestions to Yalu, reducing inventory costs and backlog risks, ensuring smooth product supply.

Moreover, JD.com itself gathers many consumers with purchasing power, overlapping with Yalu's target customers, which also helps improve sales conversion rates and average transaction value.

Currently, JD.com is deepening its cooperation with brands, and many mid-to-high-end down jacket brands have also settled on JD.com.

JD.com hopes to leverage the online and offline capabilities of brands through cooperation, collaborating comprehensively on product pricing, brand marketing, and marketing resources, to provide customers with a more obvious price perception, a more comprehensive range of products, and better services, thereby forming the consumer perception of "buying clothes on JD.com."

However, as Double Eleven is still ongoing, whether JD.com's strategy can continue to be effective will depend on the final battle report.

The clothing market is already a mature red ocean market, and users need to slowly compare after trying new products, ultimately selecting a platform they can trust long-term, which also means JD.com needs to continue to deepen its efforts in the clothing sector