Google takes holding in Chinese firm Jd.com

0 Google says deal will help the firm explore how to build ‘frictionless shopping experiences’ Google is investing $550 million(£416m)inchinesee-commerce company Jd.com, rival to Asian giant Alibaba.

The funding forms the basis for a strategic partnership between the two companies, allowing Google to learn from JD’S supply chain and logistics knowledge.

As part of the deal, Google will receive 27.1 million new shares in JD, which is listed in New York, giving it a stake of less than 1 per cent in the company.

JD plans to list its products on Google’s shopping site, and will benefit from Google’s huge customer base outside China.

The two firms will also look at building retail technologies in south-east Asia, America and in Europe.

Google’s chief business officer Philipp Schindler said the deal would help the tech juggernaut explore how to build “frictionless shopping experiences”.

Google’s main services are blocked in China, including its email and search engine.