China's 618 Festival Reaches 934 Billion Yuan GMV as AI and Direct Discounts Reshape Sales
Updated
Updated · PlataformaMedia English · Jun 23
China's 618 Festival Reaches 934 Billion Yuan GMV as AI and Direct Discounts Reshape Sales
2 articles · Updated · PlataformaMedia English · Jun 23
Summary
934 billion yuan in GMV flowed through China’s 2026 618 shopping festival from May 13 to June 18, with e-commerce platforms contributing 863.6 billion yuan, according to Syntun.
Major platforms simplified promotions by dropping complex bundle and tiered discount schemes in favor of official price cuts and instant single-item discounts, signaling a more mature and rational sales model.
AI became the campaign’s defining feature, with Alibaba, JD.com, Douyin and Kuaishou embedding new tools into matching, marketing and operations to cut merchant costs and improve efficiency.
Tmall ranked first among e-commerce platforms, while instant-delivery platforms added 62.8 billion yuan and community group buying 7.6 billion yuan.
The results suggest 618 competition is shifting away from pure price and traffic wars toward technology, operational efficiency and more transparent consumer offers.