For years, China’s Singles’ Day has been a dazzling spectacle of consumption, featuring a national marathon of midnight discounts, celebrity livestreams and record-breaking sales. Yet as this year’s month-long shopping bonanza draws to a close, the results have been far from explosive. Consumer enthusiasm has dimmed, spending behaviour has shifted, and the world’s largest retail event has struggled to recapture its old magic. Losing its spark The fatigue isn’t for lack of effort.
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Since the first half of last month, e-commerce platforms have unleashed billions of yuan in subsidies and extended promotions in an attempt to reignite interest. Alibaba alone pledged 50 billion yuan in special subsidies for its 53 million 88VIP members, hoping to coax the upper tier of consumers into opening their wallets. The tactic worked, to a degree. During the festival, Alibaba reported a 39 per cent year-on-year rise in daily active buyers among those VIP users.
JD reported a “new high” in turnover, with orders up nearly 60 per cent and a 40 per cent jump in active users. Alibaba’s Tmall saw more than 35 brands, from Nike and L’Oreal to local beauty player Proya and sportswear maker Anta, crossing the 100 million yuan sales mark within the first hour.
But the headline figures conceded the reality. Years of pandemic disruptions, a deepening property crisis, and widespread concerns about job and income security have reshaped the country’s spending habits.
“We are not out of the woods yet, and consumer confidence is still fragile,” Jacques Roizen, managing director at Digital Luxury Group, said.
Shoppers no longer see Double 11 as a must-participate moment but another sale in a year-round cycle of discounts.
Going global
As domestic consumption plateaus, China’s e-commerce giants are turning outward. This year, Alibaba’s Taobao rolled out Singles’ Day sales across more than 20 countries, while AliExpress hosted a livestream event in London featuring collectables from Pop Mart, expecting to sell 10,000 gifts in a single night.
JD and Pinduoduo’s Temu have already gained ground internationally, leveraging China’s hyper-efficient supply chain to deliver low-cost goods worldwide. The battle for global relevance, once centred on price and logistics, is now morphing into a test of cultural fluency and AI-driven personalisation.
The tech backbone: AI takes the helm
If consumer enthusiasm has waned, technology has stepped up. This year’s Double 11 was arguably the most AI-driven edition yet, quietly transforming everything from how discounts are structured to how packages reach consumers’ doorsteps.
Across Alibaba, JD and Pinduoduo, machine learning systems orchestrated the festival’s mechanics with near-invisible precision. Algorithms optimised coupon distribution, customised product recommendations, and even predicted demand surges in real time. JD said more than 90–95 per cent of first-party orders were delivered within 24 hours, thanks to smart routing powered by AI and automation.
Meanwhile, Alibaba’s merchant tools used predictive analytics to help small sellers manage stock more efficiently.
And on the consumer side, AI has become the new shopping assistant.
“This year’s Double 11 looks different because AI is everywhere,” said Miro Li, founder of Double V. Consulting. “Shoppers are turning to AI tools to search, compare, and calculate the smartest way to shop.”According to Li, the trend has gone viral under the hashtag #AI凑单 (“AI cart optimisation”), with users sharing screenshots of AI chatbots like DeepSeek or Taobao’s built-in assistant helping them bundle products and maximise discounts.
“For years, 11.11 has been criticised for complex rules and confusing math. Now, AI has quietly become the new shopping assistant, translating this chaos into clarity,” Li added.
“It also shows how consumer–AI interaction is becoming embedded in everyday consumption. Whether it’s searching on Taobao, getting product recommendations from Doubao, or calculating discounts with third-party AIs, the shopping journey is now a dialogue.”
Ironically, even as AI drives the backend of retail, it’s also fuelling front-end product demand. Sales of AI-powered gadgets, from smart glasses to home robots, soared this year.
On Alibaba’s Tmall, sales of smart glasses surged 25-fold year-on-year, while robotics brands like Deep Robotics and UBTECH reported double-digit growth.
JD saw AI-powered electronics experiencing explosive growth, as AI tablets achieved a 200 per cent year-on-year sales increase, and AI glasses, speakers, and home storage devices all recorded growth of more than 100 per cent.
Further reading: Singles’ Day delivers e-commerce boost to Chinese retail giants Alibaba, JD.com.
