<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Chinese online retailer JD.com took over internet giant Tencent's e-commerce operations back in March, and now it has relaunched the latter's Paipai eBay-like consumer-to-consumer marketplace, taking its battle with Alibaba up a notch.\r\n\r\nThe newly-refurbished platform has more emphasis on search relevance rather than advertising, boasts reduced marketing costs for sellers and lets users complete orders through JD's nationwide fulfillment network -- which means access to same-day and next-day delivery.\r\n\r\nThe search function is particularly important as it helps to keep users on the platform. JD is using a new algorithm on Paipai that prioritizes sellers based on factors such as buyer feedback, the variety of relevant products sold, amid other factors. Sellers will also be able to access JD's last-mile logistics network and finance tools.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTencent took a 15 percent stake in JD and subscribed to another 5 percent after JD completed its IPO in the US, which raised\u00A0$1.78 billion. Now it looks like JD is gearing all up to compete with Alibaba, as it builds Paipai up into a serious competitor to compete with Alibaba's Taobao marketplace. Tencent never really managed to see its e-commerce operations take off, so having JD as an ally makes sense, and could seriously threaten Alibaba.\r\n\r\nAfter all, Tencent is well known for its strength in\u00A0mobile social networks as evidenced by the popular messaging app WeChat -- and that is where Alibaba finds itself struggling to succeed in, as Alibaba\u2019s CEO\u00A0Jonathan Lu has\u00A0pledged to continue the e-commerce giant\u2019s string of big investments\u00A0to focus improving its services for mobile.\r\n\r\nTencent has recently been taking aggressive steps to boost its e-commerce presence on WeChat. JD was added as the official shopping channel within the chat app, while\u00A0it\u00A0opened up an option\u00A0for official account owners (typically brands) to set up shop within WeChat \u2014 and complete transactions using Tencent\u2019s online payment services, made easier with the recent introduction of an\u00A0in-app one-click payment transfer\u00A0feature.\r\n\r\nTencent has also sunk\u00A0$736 million\u00A0in 'China's Craigslist,' made\u00A0a $50 million investment\u00A0in \u2018China\u2019s Yelp,' and inked a\u00A0logistics deal\u00A0as it pursues its e-commerce ambitions.\r\n\r\nHeadline image via\u00A0PRNewsFoto"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/asia/2014/07/17/chinese-e-commerce-firm-jd-com-relaunches-ebay-like-paipai-to-take-on-alibaba/>