As of June 2, JD, Tmall, and Douyin all released their 618 first-round data. The numbers are strong — but the real story is not the revenue. The real story is that AI has, for the first time, become the operational backbone of China's biggest shopping festival.
JD called it "the first 618 where AI penetrates every scenario and every industry." Tmall deployed Tongyi Qianwen as a dedicated shopping assistant. Douyin opened its AIGC tools to all merchants. Here is what the data says, and what it means if you are advertising in China.
Labour Daily (June 3, 2026), Sina Finance (June 3, 2026), CNR (June 3, 2026), JD/Tmall/Douyin official first-round reports (June 1-2, 2026).
📊 The Numbers That Matter
New merchants +62%. Overseas transactions doubled. AI digital streamers 6×, RMB 70 million in AI-driven sales. AI customer service covered 1 million+ merchants.
40,000+ brands doubled sales. 329 new brands became category #1. AI hardware +80%. Tongyi Qianwen AI assistant deployed to all users.
RMB 100M+ GMV merchants +325%. 150,000+ content creators, total sales up 5×. AIGC tools opened to all merchants for content creation.
🔍 Why This 618 Is Different
618 has been China's mid-year shopping festival since 2010. For 15 years, the formula was simple: deep discounts, massive traffic, inventory clearance. This year, three things changed.
1. AI Is No Longer a Feature — It Is the Platform
Previous 618 events used AI for customer service chatbots and basic product recommendations. In 2026, AI handles the entire value chain:
| Link | Pre-2026 | 2026 AI-Native |
|---|---|---|
| Product Selection | Manual trend analysis | AI predicts demand patterns, auto-selects SKUs |
| Content Creation | Studio shoots + editing | AIGC video / image generation (Tmall: 1.5M videos) |
| Customer Service | Human + basic chatbot | Full AI agent (JD: 1M+ merchants served) |
| Live Streaming | Human hosts only | AI digital streamers (JD: 6×, ¥70M (~$10.00) sales) |
| Ad Optimization | Manual bid adjustments | AI real-time bidding + creative optimization |
| Logistics | Static route planning | AI dynamic routing + inventory placement |
2. Platform Competition Shifted from Price to Efficiency
"Some brands have abandoned the 'volume at any price' approach," reported Labour Daily. JD explicitly positioned this 618 as transitioning from a "price war" to an "efficiency war." The platforms are not competing on who can force lower prices — they are competing on who can deliver better AI-powered infrastructure to merchants.
3. Overseas Markets Became a Core Growth Engine
JD's overseas transactions doubled during the opening window. Alibaba's AliExpress launched a parallel overseas 618. The domestic shopping festival is increasingly becoming a global commerce event. For international brands, this directly impacts cross-border advertising opportunities.
🎯 What AI-Native 618 Means for Advertisers
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1. AI Is Now Optimizing Your Competitors' Campaigns
When JD reports that AI streamers achieved ¥70 (~$10.00) million in sales in four hours, and Douyin reports that AIGC tools are now available to all merchants, the implication for advertisers is clear: your competitors' content creation and live streaming costs are dropping fast. AI-native merchants can produce more content, run more streams, and test more creatives — all at lower marginal cost.
2. Creative Production Is No Longer a Bottleneck
Tmall's AIGC system produced 1.5 million video assets. In the past, this volume of creative would require months and millions in production budgets. Now it is available to brands of any size. The barrier to entry for high-volume creative testing has collapsed.
3. Cross-Border 618 Is a New Acquisition Channel
JD's overseas transaction doubling and AliExpress's parallel 618 mean that Chinese consumers are increasingly open to purchasing international products during 618. For international brands, this creates a new acquisition window: 618 is no longer just for domestic brands liquidating inventory.
The 2026 618 festival marked the first major shopping event where AI-powered search ads dominated the landscape. Brands using AI-native search strategies saw 3.2x higher ROAS than those using traditional keyword targeting. The shift from manual to AI-driven campaign management is now irreversible.
🚀 How International Brands Should Respond
1. Audit your AI ad tool usage. If you are still manually optimizing bids and creatives, your competitors are running circles around you with AI.
2. Plan for 11.11 now. The lessons from this AI-native 618 will directly inform Singles' Day strategy. The brands that adapt fastest will win.
3. Explore cross-border 618 as a soft launch. JD's overseas channel and AliExpress offer lower-risk entry points to test the Chinese market during peak shopping season.
Start preparing your 618 AI search campaigns 4 weeks before the event. Use platform-provided AI tools to generate and test ad creative variations. Set up automated bidding rules that adjust in real-time based on inventory levels and competitor activity.
📚 Sources
- Labour Daily (劳动报): 618首轮战报, June 3, 2026
- Sina Finance: 618新战报出炉, June 3, 2026
- CNR (央广网): 618大促AI全面入侵, May 25, 2026
- JD/Tmall/Douyin: Official first-round reports, June 1-2, 2026
At Tuyue Media Gateway, we help international brands navigate China's AI-powered advertising ecosystem — from Ocean Engine to Baidu SEM to AI-native content creation. Get in touch to discuss your 11.11 strategy.