This year's Double 11, China's largest shopping season, started 10 days earlier than previous years. Major domestic e-commerce platforms such as Taobao, Tmall (under Alibaba), and JD.com launched their varying promotions to grab eyeballs as well as orders.
The festival spans from October 8 to November 11, allowing more time for a broader range of consumers to make their purchases, enabling merchants to fully prepare for the sales and easing burdens on logistics providers.
Monday marks the final and most critical day of the shopping spree. The final transaction results will be announced on Tuesday. Insiders say the longest edition of Double 11 festival showcased an intensified e-commerce competition and evolving consumer landscape in China.
Here are some highlights and shifts shaping this year's shopping season.
Up to 20% discount on home appliances and computers
Sales of home appliances and computers increased tremendously compared with the same period last year. This growth was fueled by China's trade-in program, government subsidies, and vouchers and discounts launched by e-commerce platforms. Consumers get up to 20 percent discount on a wide range of commodities under this type on multiple platforms. Tmall reported an 18 times increase in refrigerator sales on October 14 compared to the same pre-sale period last year.
The soft toy brand Jellycat's store in Shanghai Municipality, east China. /CFP
'Emotional fulfilment' valued
Commodities providing "emotional fulfilment" have attracted more attention this year. Luxury soft toy brand Jellycat surprised the market when its Tmall flagship store saw a one-minute turnover on October 21 that exceeded the total sales from the first day of last year. Within two hours, sales surged 230 percent year-on-year.
Pet products sales are doubling year-on-year. In the first hour of this year's festival, 15 pet brands had sales of over 10 million yuan (nearly $1.4 million).
Hardcore tech products join
This year, a wide range of home-grown advanced technologies and big-ticket industrial products, including civilian airships, proton therapy systems, and more, are joining Double 11. These products reflect China's commitment to promoting innovation and integrating cutting-edge technology into consumer markets, which marks a significant step toward making high-tech solutions more accessible to the general public.
A picture of the AS700 Xiangyun airship. /CFP
The AS700 Xiangyun airship, developed by the Special Vehicle Research Institute under the Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC), is priced at 24.99 million yuan ($3.51 million), and the price will be reduced by 2 million yuan during the Double 11 shopping festival. Two customers had placed deposits to purchase the AS700 Xiangyun airship at taobao.com, with one purchase already completed.
Experts regard this as a step toward broader adoption and commercialization of frontier technology products.
'Free shipping' spreads overseas
Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia and other places have joined Taobao and Tmall's overseas "free shipping zone." Consumers can enjoy free shipping benefits when placing orders over a certain amount. The products covered span multiple industries such as clothing, 3C digital products, maternal products, toys, sports and outdoor activities and home appliances. JD Global Sales has added two new free shipping sites in Malaysia and Thailand.
During the first phase of Tmall's "Double Eleven" sales, nearly 70,000 merchants participating in its overseas growth plan saw their transactions double.
Industry insiders believe that overseas "free shipping" reflects the significant improvement in China's e-commerce capabilities in global operations, logistics and distribution systems, as well as payment solutions.
E-commerce rivals join hands
Moreover, Chinese e-commerce giants are cooperating to explore win-win possibilities. JD Logistics is partnering with Taobao for Double 11. Taobao and T-mall announced plans to integrate WeChat Pay to enhance the shopping experience. Meanwhile, platforms are also incorporating artificial intelligence tools, which helps elevate the operating efficiency of vendors.
The Double 11 Shopping Festival originated in 2009, when it was initiated by Taobao under the Alibaba Group, to promote online shopping consumption. In its 16th year, many remain optimistic despite increasing competition, with substantial promotions and simpler discount rules still popular with consumers.