What: The deal is meant to help U.S. merchants sell online in the massive yet complicated Chinese market.

Why it is important: China has often remained inaccessible to independent businesses and upstart entrepreneurs abroad. Regulatory and logistical barriers as well as complexities related to pricing, duties and translations, can be daunting to deal with for all but the largest of brands. The new connection between JD and Shopify illustrates the importance of platforms and partnerships in the consumer industry and fashion.

With a population of 1.4 billion, China is home to the world’s largest e-commerce market, estimated to be worth USD 3.3 trillion by 2025. It’s more than five times larger than the U.S. e-commerce market (GlobalData and Statista).

The partnership will help U.S. brands using Shopify get started in China in as little as three weeks with JD offering end-to-end fulfillment. The partnership also offers price conversion to local currency, translation services and more.

Shopify Links With JD.com for China Partnership