Simpler deals to improve Singles Day sales

China's e-commerce platforms are simplifying discounts and expanding their Singles Day offerings from foldable phones to artificial intelligence services and household help, seeking fresh growth against a backdrop of modest retail growth and diverging consumer priorities.

Centered on Nov 11, the Singles Day shopping extravaganza is a major e-commerce promotion event. It has grown from a one-day sales blitz into a weeks-long shopping season, with presales typically beginning in mid-October.

This year, Alibaba's Taobao and Tmall have made instant discounts a core promotion, while JD is emphasizing direct price cuts and ready-to-ship goods. Douyin is also promoting single-item discounts. Some offers still carry spending thresholds, but the broader push is toward making savings easier to understand.

Jiang Rong, an independent e-commerce analyst, said: "The change shows that platforms have started to realize that complicated promotions risk alienating increasingly rational consumers. Lowering the barriers to shopping matters more than devising elaborate promotional rules."

Securities firm Shenwan Hongyuan said in a research report that this year's discount schemes across multiple platforms, combined with platform subsidies, could encourage consumers to stock up during this year's festival, driving consumption.

Alibaba's Tmall said on Thursday that a record 1 million brands and 72 million products would participate in its campaign, whose main sales phase begins at 8 pm on Oct 20. The platform is betting on AI to help brands identify what shoppers want — and anticipate what they might want next.

Tmall President Liu Bo said: "AI's greatest value lies in a deeper, longer-term understanding of consumer demand. A brand's irreplaceable competitive edge lies in moving from meeting demand to creating it."

Liu said flagship stores would remain central to brands' operations and their adoption of AI.

AI is also entering the shopping basket itself. Model developers including Z.ai and MiniMax have opened Tmall stores, allowing customers to buy discounted AI services and stock up on tokens — units used to measure how much text a model process.

Brands are bringing new products to the festival, too. Tmall said the number of merchants launching new products on Taobao and Tmall rose 64 percent year-on-year in the month before the campaign's main sales phase.

Yoga apparel brand Alo is among 60,000 merchants joining the festival for the first time. Its exclusive Tmall store, opened in August, generated nearly 200 million yuan ($29.92 million) in sales in its first week, according to the platform.

Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, was open for preorders in China at 8 pm on Friday, including through Tmall and JD. Priced from 15,999 yuan, it goes on sale on Oct 23, offering a fresh test of demand for premium devices.

At JD, the festival is moving beyond goods delivered in boxes. Its promotions this year include housekeeping, appliance repairs, eldercare and pet care. Consumers can buy help that frees up their time or makes home life easier, alongside a new phone or washing machine.

Li Mingtao, chief e-commerce analyst at the China International Electronic Commerce Center, said: "AI-powered interactive shopping is also creating new ways for consumers to discover and buy products."