Nestlé Partners with JD.com to Launch China's First AI-Powered Home Nutrition & Wellness Assistant on DingDong Smart Speaker

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that Nestlé, the global food and beverage giant, recently announced a partnership with Chinese retail giant JD.com to launch its collaboration on the “Dingdong” smart speaker. This initiative marks the debut in the Chinese market of Nestlé’s first voice-recognition-enabled home nutrition and health assistant, “Nestlé Xiao AI.”

This home nutrition and health assistant is based on the Dingdong Smart Speaker developed by Linglong Technology, a joint venture between JD.com and iFlytek. It features customized content from Nestlé, including family-oriented nutritional recipes, health and wellness knowledge, and exclusive playlists. Users can access these services through voice interaction. Simply say “Nestlé, Nestlé” to activate the Nestlé AI Assistant, and then ask questions such as “How do I make garlic yam?” “How can I prevent picky eating in children?” “How should the elderly supplement calcium?” or “How can swelling be alleviated during pregnancy?”

As a food manufacturer with a history spanning over 150 years, Nestlé’s cross-industry collaboration with technology companies represents an exploration of new communication methods and an innovation in business models. This partnership also holds significant implications for the entire smart speaker industry.

Mr. Rashid Aleem Qureshi, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé Greater China, stated: “China is Nestlé’s second-largest market globally. With over three decades of deep engagement in the Chinese market, Nestlé maintains profound insights into the consumer landscape and evolving preferences. Following the Chinese government’s launch of the ‘Healthy China 2030’ initiative, industry leaders such as Nestlé have both the opportunity and responsibility to provide greater support for healthy living among Chinese families. Nestlé Xiao AI serves as an excellent example.”

"More importantly,This innovative business model aligns with global development trends by organically integrating consumer goods with “AI services,” thereby infusing them with new value: convenience, enjoyment, and support for cultivating a healthy lifestyle.,” he added. “JD.com’s technological empowerment has also transformed the Dingdong smart speaker into a hub for household food health and services, leveraging the device to deliver services to users in a more natural and seamless manner. The integration of technology with consumer goods, and hardware with knowledge, has created the industry’s newest business model while establishing retail infrastructure that delivers a superior user experience.”

In recent years, nutrition-related health issues, including obesity, malnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies, have drawn global attention. In July 2017, the State Council issued the National Nutrition Plan (2017–2030), which called for “enhancing the supply and dissemination of popular science information on nutrition and health” and encouraged “promoting the integrated development of internet-plus, big data, and other cutting-edge technologies with nutrition and health, and developing personalized and differentiated digital nutrition and health products.”

Ding Gangqiang, Director of the National Institute for Nutrition and Health at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Nutrition Society, stated: “In contemporary China, as living standards improve, public demand for nutritional and health knowledge continues to rise. All sectors of society should collaborate, actively innovate, and engage in science popularization efforts related to nutrition and health. By disseminating accurate nutritional and health information to the general public, we can help improve lifestyle habits and dietary patterns, thereby further enhancing the nutritional and health status of all population groups in our country.”

Nestlé is one of the few food companies in the world whose products and services cover all life stages, including pregnancy, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and older age. With 34 product technology centers and R&D facilities worldwide, and more than 5,000 scientists and technical experts, Nestlé is at the forefront of research in food, nutrition, and life sciences. Committed to “Good Food, Good Life,” Nestlé has made global commitments to reduce sugar, fat, and salt, ensuring that all its product lines meet nutritional and health needs while delivering great taste.

Data from the U.S. internet traffic monitoring firm ComScore shows that by 2020, 50% of searches will be conducted via voice. Voice interaction technology will fundamentally transform interpersonal communication and human-computer interaction, with a growing number of consumers using voice to learn about companies and brands, as well as to access products and services. AndDingdong Speaker is the first smart speaker in the Chinese market, with a market share as high as 80% and currently possessing over 200 million voice interaction data records.

Regarding this collaboration, Mr. Fang Lü, Vice President of Linglong Technology, the manufacturer of Dingdong smart speakers, stated, “Dingdong is committed to continuously developing innovative technologies and enriching content and services to provide users with an ultimate experience. Linglong holds a first-mover advantage in China’s smart speaker market. This new partnership with Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, in the field of nutrition and health will enable us to offer consumers more diverse content and services. For Nestlé, leveraging such products to interact with consumers in the Chinese market also serves as a strong demonstration effect for the group.”

Dr. Li Kefeng, Vice President of JD.com and Head of the Platform Product R&D Department, stated: “The era of technology empowerment has arrived. The collaboration between Smart Audio and Nestlé has established a new business model in the field of artificial intelligence, which will break down technological and brand barriers across industries.Dingdong’s partnership with Nestlé has positioned Dingdong as the latest communication bridge connecting consumer goods companies with users, enabling third-party services and content to “permeate” through devices into various scenarios where user needs arise.

As a key initiative by JD.com to embrace the Fourth Retail Revolution, smart speaker products represented by Dingdong have significantly enhanced user experience and established a more diversified “smart retail” model. Driven by the dual-wheel strategy of intelligent technology and JD’s services, JD’s Dingdong smart speaker will become one of the core infrastructure providers for Borderless Retail, creating endless possibilities in the upcoming wave of the Fourth Retail Revolution.

It is reported that the first-generation Nestle Xiao AI will benefit all Dingdong smart speakers and their partner products. The first batch of limited-edition Nestle Xiao AI has officially entered public beta testing and can be ordered via the JD.com platform.