AI Transforms China’s 618 Shopping Festival in Historic First
The 2026 “618” mid-year shopping festival in China marks a historic turning point — widely recognized by industry insiders as the first AI-native e-commerce promotion. Artificial intelligence has moved beyond being a decorative feature to become deeply embedded across the entire e-commerce value chain, from product selection and marketing to customer service, logistics, and after-sales support.
According to Xinhua News, major platforms including JD.com, Alibaba’s Taobao/Tmall, ByteDance’s Douyin, and Pinduoduo have all deployed AI as a core infrastructure layer, fundamentally reshaping how consumers shop and how merchants operate.
AI Becomes the Shopping Entry Point
This year’s 618 has fundamentally changed the consumer shopping experience. AI smart shopping guides are replacing traditional keyword searches, matching products through dialogue and automatically calculating all subsidies and platform discounts.
Zhu Keli (朱克力), Founding Dean of the National Research Institute for New Economy, told Xinhua that “AI has penetrated the entire chain of this year’s 618. For ordinary consumers, AI smart shopping guides replace traditional keyword searches, matching products through dialogue and automatically calculating all subsidies and platform discounts.”
Zhao Gang (赵刚), President of Saizhi Industrial Research Institute, explained that “this year’s 618, AI has reconstructed the shopping entry point and consumer decision-making path. Platform companies have connected AI large models with e-commerce platforms, allowing users to complete product selection, price comparison, and even ordering directly through AI. AI is becoming the ‘first entry point’ for shopping.”
Platform-by-Platform AI Deployments
JD.com integrated AI across its entire platform for the first time in 2026. The company’s AI assistant “京言” (Jingyan) saw nearly 80 million users in Q1 2026, a year-over-year increase of over 200%. Cao Peng (曹鹏), Chairman of JD Group Technology Committee, stated: “This year’s 618 is the first time JD has integrated AI across all scenarios and all industries.” AI-related R&D investment at JD.com grew by more than 200% year-over-year.
Alibaba achieved a major milestone on May 11, 2026, when its AI assistant Qianwen (千问) was fully integrated with Taobao. Users can now complete product selection, comparison, and purchasing entirely through AI dialogue. The Taobao app features a “Qianwen AI Shopping Assistant” with AI virtual try-ons, AI discount calculations, and AI-assisted price alerts. Early results showed over 40,000 brands achieving doubled transaction volumes by May 31.
ByteDance’s Douyin deployed its Doubao (豆包) AI assistant with a “Buy Before Asking Doubao” (买前问豆包) feature as a core shopping entry point, fully integrated with Douyin Mall for conversational product selection and in-app checkout.
Simplified Promotions and National Subsidies
All major platforms abandoned complex discount stacking in favor of straightforward “official direct discounts” (官方直降) and “one-item direct reduction” (一件直降). This reflects a broader shift toward rational, value-driven consumption.
Li Mingtao (李鸣涛), an expert at the National E-Commerce Demonstration City Expert Committee, told Xinhua: “This reflects that the characteristics of rational consumption are more obvious. Various discount stacking can no longer truly move consumers. More consumers tend to shop on demand and choose the most suitable products.”
The 2026 618 also coincided with the second batch of China’s national “trade-in” subsidies, totaling 62.5 billion yuan, covering energy-efficient appliances and digital products at 15% off.
The Shift from ‘Traffic is King’ to ‘AI Algorithms Rule’
Cao Lei (曹磊), Director of the E-Commerce Research Center at NetEase Economic Research Institute, told Sina Finance: “AI will formally stand at the core entry point of e-commerce traffic, becoming the top variable determining the future landscape. Previously it was ‘traffic is king,’ now it’s the showdown of AI algorithms. Whoever controls AI dialogue, AI recommendations, and AI price comparison decisions will control the throat of the next generation of user shopping paths.”
Zhu Keli emphasized the fundamental nature of the change: “In previous years’ 618, AI was only sporadically applied in individual marketing links. This year, the underlying architecture of all major platforms is adapted to AI. Traffic distribution, transaction links, and discount calculations all rely on large model operations. The consumption logic has changed from people actively searching for products to AI matching products on demand.”
Implications and Forward Look
The implications of this AI-native shift are far-reaching. In the short term, shopping becomes conversational rather than search-based, saving consumers significant time. Platform competition is moving from price subsidies to AI capabilities. In the medium term, AI is becoming the “first entry point” for shopping, replacing traditional keyword search as the primary traffic gateway.
However, experts also caution about risks. Cao Lei warned of a potential “convenience trap” for consumers if AI-driven shopping leads to price discrimination or hidden steering without proper regulation. He called for mandatory filing of e-commerce AI recommendation algorithms and third-party audits.
As 36Kr noted in its analysis, the 2026 618 marks a clear dividing line — China’s e-commerce industry is transitioning from a traffic-driven, scale-expansion model to a technology-driven, quality-focused era. The question now is whether AI can sustain growth beyond the initial novelty phase and how regulatory frameworks will evolve to govern AI in e-commerce.