Online retailer JD has struck a new strategic partnership deal with Sina Corp dubbed “京浪计划” (the JD-Sina Program; our translation) local media is reporting. Sina is the newest member of the JD alliance, joining other big-name members including Jinri Toutiao, Baidu, Qihoo 360, NetEase and Sougou.
Both JD and Sina are expecting to get a lot out of the deal. The tie-up entails the two companies sharing user data, insights, and other resources and will collaborate on other areas including product, content, and business. The deal with JD is expected to help Sina further optimize their algorithms and better match their readers with relevant content, crucial to increase user stickiness and site activity. On the other hand, JD will not only gain another traffic portal on the internet to boost its online sales, it will also make use of Sina’s big data and insights on consumer behavior and interest to increase the precision of targeting audience with relevant content and boost ad performance.
Sina is a leading online media in China that has over 30 channels covering news, technology, finance, entertainment, and fashion. It has garnered over 331 million monthly users worldwide. Online advertising is a major source of revenue for online media like Sina. According to the company’s earnings announcement, its portal advertising revenue saw a 16.5% growth in Q4 last year. Sina spun off Sina Weibo in 2014 and now owns 11%.
As one of China’s top e-commerce site, JD has been forming strategic partnerships with major tech companies to better position it for the new data-driven era of online retail.