By Tiny Hu, Corporate Communication Manager at BBDO China and Camilla Gleditsch, Head of Agency Communications.
As the dust settles on China’s 2024 Double 11 Shopping Festival that took place last month, it’s apparent that this retail phenomenon has entered a new era. No longer simply a festival of steep discounts, Double 11 has transformed into a showcase equally driven by quality, experience, and consumer confidence. This year, with an early start from October 8 extending through November 11, the festival took a deliberate turn toward service and product excellence over the typical reliance on ultra-low-price gimmicks. The result? Record-breaking participation fueled by national subsidies and robust early engagement strategies.
For brand marketers, this evolution offers critical insights into thriving in China’s increasingly sophisticated e-commerce landscape. Here are four key takeaways from this year’s Double 11.
- New AI-Powered Merchant Tools: The Future of Personalization
Tmall and Taobao introduced new advanced AI-driven tools that are revolutionizing merchant operations, allowing businesses to create high-quality marketing assets and conduct precise audience analyses like never before. Tools such as Ali Assistant and Business Advisor empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to scale their marketing, optimize efficiency, and target consumers with laser precision.
AI-powered content generation has slashed operational costs significantly, while Alibaba’s Quanzhantui marketing tool has helped nearly 290,000 merchants extend their reach and impact during the pre-sale phase. Brands like L’Oréal, Perfect Diary, and Luckin Coffee have already leveraged AI to drive consumer profile analysis, enabling personalized recommendations, tailored promotions, and even entertainment experiences that resonate deeply with their audiences. Meanwhile, JD.com’s use of AI to power continuous livestream sales exemplifies the technology’s role in keeping consumers engaged around the clock.
DingTalk’s AI-driven search feature, launched at the 2024 DingTalk Ecosystem Conference, is another compelling example of AI’s role in boosting productivity. This tool organizes complex data into structured knowledge networks, offering actionable insights and streamlining marketing processes in ways previously unimaginable.
The future of personalization is here, and the message is clear: Brands that harness the potential of AI are primed to lead in China’s next-gen e-commerce landscape.
- The Rise of Content-Based Platforms: From “Finding Products” to “Products Finding People”
This year’s Double 11 emphasized a clear shift in China’s e-commerce dynamics: content-based platforms like Douyin (TikTok’s Chinese counterpart), Kuaishou, and Xiaohongshu (RED or Little Red Book) are fundamentally changing how consumers discover products. Traditionally, platforms like Tmall, JD.com, and Pinduoduo dominated Double 11 through catalog-based shopping, where consumers actively searched for items. But content-driven platforms are flipping this model—shifting from “people finding products” to “products finding people.”
Content-based platforms marry the engaging nature of social media with e-commerce, using sophisticated algorithms to showcase products based on user interests, behaviors, and preferences. The advantages are manifold:
- Precise Targeting: Products appear seamlessly to users most likely to engage.
- Integrated Shopping Experiences: Shopping flows naturally within content consumption, making purchases feel intuitive and unforced.
- Influencer & Livestream Commerce: Influencers and live-streamers bring products to life, personalizing the shopping journey and driving discovery.
This new paradigm allows consumers to stumble upon items they didn’t know they needed, often leading to impulse buys and expanding their purchasing horizons. For traditional platforms, this shift is both a challenge and an opportunity. Giants like Alibaba and JD.com are actively integrating content features, such as live-streaming, to stay competitive and replicate the engaging, discovery-driven experiences of content-based platforms.
The takeaway for marketers? Embrace this shift from product search to product discovery. In China’s rapidly evolving e-commerce world, being seen requires a pivot toward entertainment-driven, personalized shopping experiences that keep consumers engaged—and spending.
- Embracing Authenticity on Xiaohongshu (RED): Building Consumer Trust
For today’s Chinese consumers, authenticity isn’t a “nice-to-have”—it’s a necessity. Xiaohongshu (RED) has responded by becoming a beacon of authenticity in a market often marred by shallow discounts and sales tactics. RED now focuses on providing engaging, credible content, with livestreams enhanced by teaser videos, interactive promotions, and celebrity appearances. This approach has allowed RED to stand apart, offering consumers a genuine shopping experience that builds trust rather than diluting it.
Brands aiming to succeed on RED should prioritize creating story-driven, high-quality content that resonates with consumer values. Working with influencers who genuinely align with the brand’s ethos can foster deeper, more meaningful connections with today’s shoppers, who increasingly value transparency over flashy sales tactics. Authenticity has moved from buzzword to business imperative, and for brands navigating China’s e-commerce landscape, RED exemplifies how to make this shift effectively.
- Rise of Niche Categories: Designer Toys, Pet Products, and Home Goods
Double 11 is increasingly reflecting China’s shifting lifestyle trends, spotlighting niche categories like designer toys, premium pet products, and home goods. Brands such as Jellycat thrived with limited-edition releases, while Tmall’s range of IP-based products targeted consumers’ love for collectible, fan-driven items. As consumers seek products that align with their personal interests and passions, these niche categories offer lucrative opportunities.
The pet economy is particularly booming, with China’s pet population projected to exceed the number of children under four by year’s end. High-end pet products—from gourmet foods to designer beds—cater to millennial and Gen Z pet owners who view their pets as family members. Rather than defaulting to discounts, these festivals offer brands a chance to introduce unique, limited-edition products that capture attention and build loyalty in a more enduring way.
For global brands, the lesson is clear: meeting consumers where they are means understanding their lifestyle shifts and offering products that resonate on a personal level. Double 11 is no longer solely about discounts; instead, it presents an opportunity for brands to introduce unique, limited-edition products that capture consumer attention and build long-term loyalty.
Conclusion: A Shift Towards Experience-Driven, Sustainable E-commerce
The 2024 Double 11 Global Shopping Festival signals a shift in China’s e-commerce market, where quality, experience, and authenticity now take center stage over purely discount-driven strategies. Platforms are prioritizing experience scores, reducing return costs, and pushing merchants to elevate product quality. With e-commerce seamlessly woven into daily life in China, deals are available almost every day, which has dampened the previous excitement surrounding major shopping events like Double 11. Today’s Chinese consumers are drawn to brands that reflect their values, emphasize quality, and deliver meaningful experiences.
For brand marketers, this evolving landscape presents a golden opportunity. Major shopping events can be more than just occasions to push discounts—they can become strategic platforms for building brand loyalty, strengthening consumer trust, and forging lasting connections that drive sustainable growth. In the new era of Double 11, the brands that will stand out are those that see beyond the quick sale to create experiences that resonate long after checkout.