Less coupon math, more AI: what’s new for China’s 18th Singles’ Day
For Sunny He, a 32-year-old Shanghai resident, this year’s Singles’ Day shopping season culminated in a single, high-value purchase: a 12,000-yuan (US$1,797) iPhone 18 Pro Max, sweetened by a 300-yuan voucher on Alibaba Group Holding’s Tmall marketplace. “For me, Double 11 definitely isn’t as lively as before because I have less spare cash than in previous years,” He said. “Even so, I’ll take…
This year's Singles' Day shopping event in China marked a shift from complex coupon math to more straightforward AI product promotions, according to market analysts and shoppers. The world's largest online retail event, also known as Double 11, traditionally features 24-hour flash sales and has evolved into a month-long shopping marathon.
In response to a sluggish economy and more cautious consumers, e-commerce platforms are eliminating intricate discount structures and promoting AI products as a new category. Consumers like Sunny He, a Shanghai resident who purchased a 12,000-yuan iPhone 18 Pro Max, welcomed the simpler discount structures, as they no longer have to worry about calculating complex cross-store discounts.
Platforms such as Alibaba's Tmall and JD.com have seen increased sales of AI tokens, hardware featuring AI capabilities, and traditional segments like consumer electronics and fashion facing fiercer competition. Government incentives, such as consumption vouchers, also played a role in bolstering consumption, but analysts believe they contributed less than 1 percent to the overall GMV gains.
Written by urgent.news from SCMP Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
