JD has struck another partnership to shift more of its goods, this time allowing hundreds of millions of users of Qihoo 360’s applications to make purchases without having to leave the program they’re in.
This follows less than two weeks after JD’s last similar partnership with Baidu after similar arrangements with Tencent and Toutiao. As the announcement puts it so chillingly:
JD’s big data capabilities now offer by far the most nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the Chinese consumer of any company in the market. JD’s integrated marketing solutions now enable it to seamlessly target consumers where they spend their time on the internet, be it social, search, maps, news or security. The strategy enables brands to sell products to consumers based on their interests and demographics, even during parts of the day when they do not explicitly begin their internet experience with a shopping intention.
But isn’t Qihoo 360 an anti-virus company? While Qihoo 360 started out in internet security, over the years it has developed new features. It now runs China’s second most popular search engine, 360 Search (So.com), which makes up around 14% of search inquiries. It also has the 360 Secure Browser which is used by more than 400 million people per month, plus the popular mobile security app 360 Mobile Security. All in all, quite a significant marketplace for JD, China’s largest retailer.
The release states that “By applying big data analytics to Qihoo 360’s vast data sets, as well as combining its own unique and highly-specialized insights on consumer behavior, JD will offer Qihoo 360 users a highly-tailored and personalized experience across the Qihoo 360 ecosystem.”
Content creators across the Qihoo 360 ecosystem will also be able to embed direct links to JD so that readers can make barrier-free purchases.