As China’s digital landscape continues to redefine the way people shop online, Double 11 remains a pivotal event for brands and retailers. What began in 2009 as a small-scale promotion campaign by the local eCommerce giant Alibaba, has evolved into a global sales phenomenon, hailed as an ‘end-of-year exam’ moment that can make or break your year.
In recent years however, data points have been shifting - in 2023, Double 11 total sales only saw a 2.1% YoY increase, a sharp contrast to the double-digit increases seen in the early years. With a sluggish macro economy and fast-changing local consumer behaviours, how could brands reclaim past glory?
Our APAC marketing experts have summarised the latest insights and tips to help you stay ahead this Double 11.
Influencers & live streaming: Evolving roles and new challenge
Influencer marketing has long been a critical part of brands’ digital marketing strategy, particularly during major shopping events like Double 11. In China, influencers – commonly known as Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) or Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs) - have taken the e-commerce world by storm, with some capable of generating up to 100 million RMB in sales through just one hour of live streaming.
Estée Lauder has been one of the early adopters of influencer marketing in China, successfully integrating KOLs into its core strategy. By partnering with top KOLs and hosting live product demonstrations, Estée Lauder significantly amplified its brand visibility and fostered a loyal customer base. The results are impressive - Estée Lauder consistently ranks among the top sellers during Double 11, with sales surpassing 2.4 billion RMB.
Despite their significant reach, working with influencers comes with its challenges, especially in the form of price wars. Influencers often claim to offer the "lowest price", triggering intense competition between a brand’s different sales channels. For example, another local eCommerce company JD.com directly challenged the prices set by Li Jiaqi, one of China’s top influencers, offering even lower prices on premium products in this year’s Double 11 pre-sales period. While this tactic can drive a short-term boost in sales, it often causes profit margin pressure for both brands and their distributors. It's important to be mindful not to give away too much power to KOLs and therefore compromise your brand strength. Don’t just choose the most famous KOL, but be selective and go for those whose followers match your target audience, and positioning aligns with your brand image.
Moreover, live streaming commerce has reached a plateau as its content is becoming more heavily censored. Many brands are witnessing a decline in the amount of traffic allocated to the overall live-streaming sessions. However, this does not diminish the value of live commerce for driving brand sales. Instead, brands should consider shifting their focus toward branded live-stream sessions that clearly and vividly showcase product benefits. This approach can strengthen brand building and help accumulate a customer database, supporting long-term retention and engagement.
AI-powered tools for e-commerce: The next frontier
Artificial intelligence (AI) is ushering in a new era for e-commerce, particularly in live streaming. In 2023, JD.com launched its Smart Virtual Anchor, an AI-powered virtual influencer capable of hosting 24/7 live streams without any human involvement. This innovation reduces operational costs and provides scalability beyond what human influencers can achieve. Notably, during last year’s Double 11, JD’s virtual live stream achieved a daily GMV of over 30,000 RMB - four times the usual figure - and outperformed human streamers.
This year, platforms like Tmall and Douyin (China’s TikTok) are also integrating AI-powered tools, ranging from AI-generated creative content for socials, to AI-driven live streams. These technologies allow brands to cut costs while maintaining a strong and consistent online presence – a crucial advantage during peak shopping seasons.
Integrated omnichannel deployment: The blurry line between e-commerce and social media
The digital landscape is increasingly moving towards an integrated multi-channel approach. While traditional platforms like Taobao, Tmall and JD.com continue to dominate the e-commerce world, new players such as Vipshop, Suning, and Pinduoduo are emerging. Consumers can now shop everywhere, not only because of these proliferating e-commerce platforms, but because social media is also joining the party.
Platforms like Douyin, Little Red Book, and Bilibili are blurring the lines between social media and e-commerce. They serve as both brand marketing and sales channels, where consumers are not only influenced by both KOLs with large followings, but also by other ordinary users who share peer reviews and recommendations. Unlike traditional e-commerce, social media usually features a strong community vibe, high quality user-generated content, and peer endorsements, creating an authentic and engaging shopping environment. This approach not only enhances brand loyalty but also drives purchasing decisions, making it particularly impactful for brands during high-pressure events like Double 11.
Partnerships between platforms have also become a popular strategy. For example, Tmall has teamed up with Douyin, guiding consumers from initial brand awareness on Douyin to purchases on Tmall. This collaboration streamlines the customer journey and effectively boosts conversion rate. Similarly, Little Red Book has partnered with WeChat mini-program, allowing brands to build audience interest on one platform and drive sales conversions on another. These strategic collaborations illustrate how brands can harness the strengths of multiple platforms to increase visibility and optimise sales, creating a 1+1>2 synergy.
Emerging trends: New consumer groups & growth categories
With Double 11 expanding beyond traditional eCommerce platforms to nearly all available sales channels, consumers have grown weary of complicated pre-sales rules, coupons, and promotions, leading to ‘discount fatigue’. As a result, shoppers are shifting away from impulsive, discount-driven purchases to more meaningful and personalised shopping experiences. This evolution is reshaping how brands approach Double 11, while creating exciting opportunities for brands and products in niche markets to grow their audience reach in China.
A 2024 McKinsey China consumer report showed that although the aggregate consumption numbers might appear discouraging, some new audience groups expressed a high level of confidence and optimism in consumption, most notably young consumers in lower-tier cities, Urban Generation Z, Baby Boomers in Tier-1 Cities, Millennials in Tier-1 and Tier-2 Cities. By recognising and finding ways to foster close brand relationships with these audiences, brands could still gain growth in this year’s Double 11.
In terms of product and service categories, consumers are gradually shifting their purchases to lifestyle-driven services and experiences. The top four categories that see positive growth are education, travel, food and beverages, and health products and services.
One of the most notable trends is the rise of experiential consumption, which offers lasting emotional value beyond the short-lived thrill of material purchases. Young consumers are fueling interest in a variety of outdoor activities like rock climbing, camping, cycling, surfing and skiing. Additionally, e-sports and art toys are seeing notable growth - over 800 art toy businesses on Tmall doubled their sales during 2023’s Double 11 campaign. These trends imply that if your products or services offer the right emotional value to your target audience, price becomes less of a barrier despite the economic downturn. High-quality, experience-driven offerings are proving to resonate deeply with consumers in China.
In addition, smart technology featuring AI is also emerging as a key area, with JD.com witnessing 260% YoY sales growth in AI PCs, AI smartphones and AI learning pads in this year’s 618 mid-year shopping festival.
Last but not least, with China’s ageing population and Chinese people’s growing focus on health management, there has been a surge in demand for wellness products, particularly in beauty tech, home medical devices, and fitness equipment. During this year’s 618, JD Health recorded respectively 335%, 115% and 100% YoY increase in sleep aid supplements, health drinks and eye health supplements. An interesting observation is the growing number of younger consumers of the previously elderly-oriented health products.
As Double 11 continues to expand and evolve, the competitive landscape for brands is becoming more complex - but also full of opportunities. From leveraging influencer marketing and live streaming with new technology, to highlighting interests-based experiences and emotional values - brands must be adaptable to the changing mindset of Chinese consumers.
At Croud, our APAC marketing experts are here to guide you through these trends and craft a well-rounded, data-driven strategy that ensures your success during Double 11. Get in touch with us to receive more tailored plans for your upcoming 2024 Double 11.
