JD.com continues European rollout of Amazon competitor Joybuy with UK launch

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has launched Joybuy in the UK as it continues a European rollout of the online shopping platform, pitted as a rival to Amazon. The company has debuted in the region through a dedicated app and e-commerce channel, both now available to customers.

Joybuy’s operations are entirely owned by JD.com, from its logistics service in the UK, backed by self-operated warehouses in Milton Keynes and Luton, to its delivery service, overseen by JoyExpress. In doing so, the company is aiming to make same-day delivery the “standard”.

A spokesperson for Joybuy said: “British shoppers have long had to settle for a trade-off between price and speed, often paying a premium to get their orders more quickly. We’re here to change that. With Joybuy, same-day delivery isn’t a luxury; it’s our standard for millions of households.”

The company particularly prides itself on its ‘Double 11’ delivery service, which allows shoppers ordering before 11am to receive their item before 11pm the same day. Ordering before 11pm will see the product arrive the next day. The service is free for orders of 29 pounds or more and is currently available to select locations in the UK, with a broader rollout across more towns and cities due in the coming months.

Exclusive promotions and limited-time daily deals spanning categories from clothing to electronics are also a definitive part of Joybuy. To mark the UK launch, the platform will launch a programme for such offers alongside a membership programme, JoyPlus, which provides users with free delivery with no minimum spend per order, as well as access to exclusive promotions.

Joybuy’s UK launch coincides with a further rollout into Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Luxembourg, where it is relaunching as part of a broader internationalisation strategy designed to offset weak domestic demand in China. “The UK and Europe have some of the savviest shoppers in the world, and we're bringing our decades of retail and logistics experience to the UK and Europe to change the way people shop online for the better,” the spokesperson added.