Ling, who is responsible for corporate strategy and investment at the Chinese ecommerce giant, suggests retail will continue to evolve to allow shoppers to “get whatever they want, whenever they want it”.

Speaking at the World Retail Congress in Amsterdam, Ling said consumer behaviour was changing rapidly, particularly in China. Research by Deloitte found online penetration in the market is 15% – higher than in the USA and Europe.

In a bid to lean into those changing habits and expectations, JD.com has set up a dedicated ‘customer excellency’ team, which reports directly to chief executive Richard Liu.