On December 12, while Double 12 promotions were still in full swing across China, JD.com dropped a bombshell announcement. The company plans to invest 22 billion yuan over the next five years to provide 150,000 "courier homes" through three approaches: leasing, self-construction, and housing security funds.
The initiative specifically targets delivery riders and couriers who brave all weather conditions. Just six months ago, JD.com had already achieved full social security coverage for its 150,000 full-time delivery riders, with annual social insurance expenditures reaching 3.6 billion yuan. Currently, JD.com provides 28,000 housing units for frontline employees. The new 150,000-unit target means at least 200,000 employees will benefit in the next five years.
For riders, this is more than just housing—it’s a foundation for settling in the city. While many see delivery workers as "mobile labor," JD.com is determined to be the "nest builder." The core competitiveness of the food delivery industry ultimately lies in its people. Delivery speed and service quality depend entirely on riders. Without retaining talent, even the most sophisticated algorithms and massive traffic are castles in the air.
JD.com’s logic is simple: meeting employees’ real needs helps retain them, and retaining talent ensures JD’s food delivery business thrives. This clarity is rare in an industry obsessed with "monetizing traffic" and "commission cuts."
But why is JD.com doubling down on food delivery, a notoriously low-margin sector? For giants like Alibaba and JD.com, food delivery is no longer just about "delivering meals"—it’s a "traffic gateway" for local services and the "final piece" of the e-commerce ecosystem.
However, JD.com’s approach differs. Traditionally, food delivery relied on algorithm-driven route optimization, traffic wars fueled by subsidies, and commission-based profits from merchants. JD.com aims to redefine it as a "supply chain + service quality" business.
Supply chain is JD.com’s true ace. Since launching its in-house logistics in 2007, JD.com has built an unparalleled supply chain advantage. While competitors struggle with merchant sourcing and delivery efficiency, JD’s 7FRESH supermarkets and self-operated kitchens have already streamlined the "farm-to-table" process.
With its entry into food delivery, services like JD Review and JD Leaderboard have emerged, leveraging the delivery scene to extend supply chain strengths into every corner of local life.
This positions JD.com’s food delivery competitiveness not in short-term subsidies but in long-term ecosystem value. When riders no longer worry about housing or social security, they focus on service quality. When merchants rely on JD’s supply chain to cut costs and boost efficiency, they prefer JD’s platform. This virtuous cycle is the local services ecosystem JD.com aims to build.
As traffic growth plateaus, all e-commerce platforms are hunting for new growth avenues. JD.com has chosen the "hardest" yet most solid path: starting with employee welfare and building on supply chain strength. There are no shortcuts, but the journey promises stability and longevity.
Some call JD.com’s 22-billion-yuan housing plan "distraction." Yet this very "distraction" reveals an alternative path for corporate growth—not all investments need quick returns, and not all competition requires cost-cutting. When companies prioritize employee welfare, employees naturally shoulder corporate growth.
Looking ahead, as JD.com’s supply chain advantages fully unfold, as service quality becomes an industry barrier, and as more riders find belonging in cities, JD.com might truly reshape local services competition.
More importantly, JD.com’s experiment reminds the entire industry: ultimate competitiveness isn’t about profits but value creation. Respect for employees, reverence for the industry, and responsibility to society—these seemingly "useless" investments may become a company’s most valuable assets.
After all, a platform that lets riders run with peace of mind will run faster and farther.