China’s B2C e-commerce company Jingdong has recently began offering the first government-issued electronic receipts (fapiao) in China’s e-commerce industry.

The electronic receipts are an additional option for customers beyond the traditional paper fapiao that Jindong has always offered for products sold both through direct sales and POP marketplace platforms.

“The new electronic invoice system provides Jingdong customers another option to keep records of their purchases, and marks the latest step in our efforts to provide best-in-industry service, from authentic products to official fapiao for all transactions,” said Cai Lei, Jingdong’s VP of Tax.

“Working together with government authorities, Jingdong’s introduction of electronic fapiao marks the digitalisation of another critical component of e-commerce transactions, minimising costs and the environmental impact of paper receipts.”

During the current trial period, electronic fapiao are only available to individual customers in Beijing for purchases of books and media products. Customers who choose the new electronic option can download their receipts from JD.com.

They can also access records of the receipts from the Beijing Municipal Office of the State Administration of Taxation’s (SAT) online invoice system.

Jingdong plans to expand the coverage of electronic receipts to other product categories and other regions in the future. The SAT issues fapiao as an official record of value-add tax (VAT) payments for transactions.