China 618 Sales: Record High Despite Spending Dip
- China's annual 618 shopping festival concluded Wednesday with record retail sales, despite a drop in daily spending attributed to an extended promotional period.
- Data from Syntun, a retail data provider, showed the combined gross merchandise value (GMV) reached a record 855.6 billion yuan ($119 billion), a 15.2% increase from the previous...
- Tmall,owned by Alibaba Group,maintained its lead in sales,followed by JD.com, ByteDance's Douyin, and Pinduoduo Holdings' Pinduoduo.
China’s 618 shopping festival delivered record retail sales, hitting $119 billion, a testament to aggressive promotions and consumer subsidies. Despite the primary_keyword success, the data reveals a dip in average daily spending during this extended event. The ongoing concerns about economic headwinds, including job security and wage stagnation, cast a shadow on the sustainability of this growth. Major platforms like Tmall and JD.com saw meaningful gains, but the secondary_keyword, “China retail,” faces underlying challenges. Read the full story on News directory 3 to understand the strategies driving these sales and the potential hurdles ahead for the market. Discover what’s next …
China’s 618 Shopping Festival Sees Record Retail Sales Amidst Economic Concerns
updated June 19, 2025
China’s annual 618 shopping festival concluded Wednesday with record retail sales, despite a drop in daily spending attributed to an extended promotional period. The event, initially a one-day celebration for JD.com, has grown into a month-long shopping spree across major e-commerce platforms.
Data from Syntun, a retail data provider, showed the combined gross merchandise value (GMV) reached a record 855.6 billion yuan ($119 billion), a 15.2% increase from the previous year’s 742.8 billion yuan. this year’s pre-sales began May 13, a week earlier than in 2024. Reuters calculations indicate average daily spending decreased to 2.31 billion yuan, compared to 2.48 billion yuan last year.
Tmall,owned by Alibaba Group,maintained its lead in sales,followed by JD.com, ByteDance’s Douyin, and Pinduoduo Holdings’ Pinduoduo. Specific sales figures for each platform were not provided by syntun.
Despite these gains, China retail sector faces ongoing challenges due to concerns about job security, stagnant wage growth, and a persistent property crisis. Retailers and the government have attempted to stimulate spending through deeper discounts and expanded consumer subsidies. Though, analysts suggest that prolonged festivals and year-round discounts have diminished the excitement surrounding such events.
Xu Binqi, who works in Beijing’s film industry, said, “I don’t have anything special to buy during the 618 shopping festival. Because there are always great deals, I can buy whatever I need whenever… Take skincare products as an example, I buy them whenever I run out, and the prices are no higher than during the 618 festival.”
Rachel Lee, general manager of market research firm Worldpanel China, noted that budget-conscious consumers prioritize affordable alternatives, reducing the impact of discounts. “Standalone promotional discounts will find it increasingly difficult to drive volume growth,” Lee said.
JD.com reported that the number of users placing orders during the 618 event more than doubled year-on-year, with over 2.2 billion orders across its online, offline, and food delivery platforms. Alibaba reported that 453 brands exceeded 100 million yuan in GMV during the festival. Top-performing brands exceeding 1 billion yuan in GMV included Apple,Xiaomi,Huawei,Nike,Adidas,L’Oreal,and Lululemon.