JD’s growth is shifting beyond gadgets
- JD’s 2025 revenue reached RMB 1,309.1 billion, with services rising to RMB 285.3 billion.
- Electronics and home appliances fell 12% in Q4 after stimulus helped the category in earlier periods.
- General merchandise grew 12% in Q4, giving JD a second growth leg when gadgets slowed.
- New Businesses are growing fast, but still lost RMB 14.8 billion on a non-GAAP operating basis in Q4.
- Food delivery losses improved by about 20% from the prior quarter and added 2-3% to Q4 ad revenue.
A wider JD, with real costs
JD’s old strength was clear: sell electronics and home appliances directly, deliver them fast, and win trust with quality control. That engine is still big, but it hit a tough comparison in Q4 2025. Electronics and home appliances revenue fell 12% year over year after earlier trade-in stimulus lifted the base.
The bull case is that JD is no longer only a gadgets story. General merchandise grew 12% in Q4. Service revenue from marketplace, marketing, logistics, and other services reached RMB 285.3 billion in 2025. These lines can help JD depend less on direct product sales, which usually carry thinner margins.
The biggest swing factor is food delivery. Management sees it as a way to bring shoppers back more often, then sell ads and retail goods to them. The early signs are useful: food delivery losses narrowed by about 20% from the prior quarter, and the business added 2-3% to Q4 advertising revenue.
The bear case is also clear. New Businesses still burn a lot of money. The segment posted a RMB 14.8 billion non-GAAP operating loss in Q4 as food delivery, Jingxi, and overseas projects scaled. JD has a path to broader growth, but investors still need proof that the new traffic will turn into profit.
Retail scale, service fees, and delivery
JD makes most of its money from direct retail. In this model, JD buys goods from suppliers, holds inventory, sells to shoppers, and delivers orders through its own logistics network. This gives JD control over product quality and speed, but it also ties up cash in inventory and warehouses.
The second model is the marketplace. Third-party sellers list products on JD, and JD earns commissions, ads, and service fees. This can be more profitable because JD does not own every item sold. It also broadens selection, especially through value-focused areas like Jingxi.
JD Logistics is both a support system and a business. It moves JD’s own orders and sells logistics services to outside merchants. In 2025, logistics and other service revenue reached RMB 178.2 billion, helped by delivery demand tied to food delivery and local retail.
Food delivery is the newest big bet. JD is not treating it as a stand-alone restaurant app. The idea is to use frequent meal orders to build habit, then cross-sell e-commerce goods and ads. That only works if order density rises enough to cut delivery cost per order.
What JD sells and builds
Electronics and home appliances
This is JD’s classic strength and a major trust anchor. The issue is timing: Q4 revenue fell 12% year over year after earlier trade-in programs raised the comparison base.
General merchandise
This includes categories like supermarket, fashion, health products, furniture, household goods, industrial products, auto parts, and books. It grew 12% in Q4 and is helping offset electronics weakness.
Supermarket
Management sees supermarket as a large long-term retail opportunity. It can raise shopping frequency because customers buy food and daily goods more often than appliances.
Marketplace and advertising
Third-party sellers pay commissions and buy marketing. Marketplace and marketing revenue reached RMB 107.1 billion in 2025, and food delivery added 2-3% to Q4 ad revenue.
JD Logistics
JD Logistics runs the delivery backbone and also serves outside customers. Its 2025 segment revenue rose 18.8% to RMB 217.1 billion before eliminations.
JD Food Delivery
Food delivery gives JD a high-frequency use case. Losses remain large, but Q4 losses improved by about 20% from the prior quarter.
Jingxi
Jingxi targets value-focused shoppers and lower-tier markets, including goods from industrial belts and white-label manufacturers. It can add reach, but it also adds investment needs.
Joybuy and JoyExpress
Joybuy is JD’s full-category online retail push in Europe, paired with JoyExpress delivery. The launch gives JD an overseas growth option, but it must prove consumer adoption outside China.
The 2025 revenue mix
Segment shares use 2025 reportable segment revenue before inter-segment eliminations from the Form 20-F. JD Retail is still the center of the company, while New Businesses are small in revenue but large in losses.
What could break the thesis
Electronics slump lasts longer
High impact · Medium oddsElectronics and home appliances fell 12% in Q4 because the prior stimulus period set a high comparison base. If demand does not stabilize in the second half of 2026, JD’s largest historic category could stay a drag on retail growth.
New Businesses keep burning cash
High impact · High oddsNew Businesses posted a RMB 14.8 billion non-GAAP operating loss in Q4. Food delivery improved, but Jingxi and international expansion still need heavy spending. If losses do not keep narrowing, JD’s core retail profit may be used to fund bets that do not pay off.
Food delivery fails to cross-sell
Medium impact · Medium oddsThe food delivery bet depends on more than meal orders. JD needs those users to buy retail goods and ads to rise across the platform. The current 2-3% Q4 ad revenue lift is a useful start, but it must grow enough to justify the investment.
China consumer demand stays soft
High impact · Medium oddsJD depends on Chinese households spending on electronics, groceries, home goods, and daily needs. Weak consumer confidence can push shoppers toward cheaper goods and heavier discounts. That would hurt revenue quality and pressure margins.
Subsidy wars pressure margins
Medium impact · High oddsChina e-commerce is highly competitive. If rivals keep using aggressive subsidies, JD may need to match discounts to protect traffic. That could weaken the margin gains in core retail.
Europe launch costs more than expected
Medium impact · Medium oddsJoybuy and JoyExpress give JD a new market, but overseas retail and delivery can be expensive to build. The risk is that Europe adds losses before it adds scale. This matters because New Businesses are already a major drag on profit.
In one breath
What does JD.com actually do?
JD.com sells goods online in China, runs a marketplace for outside sellers, and operates a large logistics network. It also sells ads, fulfillment services, and is expanding into food delivery and overseas retail.
Why did JD’s electronics business weaken?
Electronics and home appliances benefited earlier from government trade-in programs. That made the comparison base high, so Q4 2025 revenue in the category fell 12% year over year.
Is JD Food Delivery good or bad for JD?
It is both a risk and an option. Losses are still large, but they narrowed by about 20% from the prior quarter, and the service added 2-3% to Q4 advertising revenue through cross-selling.
What is the main thing to watch next?
Watch whether electronics stabilizes in the second half of 2026 and whether New Businesses losses keep shrinking. If both happen, JD’s diversification story gets much stronger.