JD.com

Alibaba gets most of the attention in conversations about e-commerce in China, but JD.com has been a potent No. 2. The company has become a $64 billion juggernaut, thanks to an emphasis on “high touch” relationships with its sellers and a concerted effort to reach neglected consumers in China’s rural areas and so-called lower-tier cities. Founder and CEO Richard Liu has been the driving force behind its success, but he now faces uncomfortable scrutiny; prosecutors in Minnesota are reviewing allegations that Liu raped a college student during a visit to Minneapolis in ­August. (Liu’s attorneys say he is innocent.)