China’s 618 Shopping Festival 2025: 4 Game-Changing Trends Every Marketer Should Know

Just wrapped up analysing China’s 618 results, and the findings are pretty eye-opening👀

For those who might not know, 618 (June 18th) is China’s massive mid-year shopping festival—think Black Friday but bigger, started by JD.com and now every major Chinese platform goes all-in.

Here’s the plot twist: for the first time ever, overall sales actually dropped compared to last year. But before you think “oh no, is the Chinese market cooling off?”—hold up.

But here’s what’s interesting—the brands that really figured it out are dominating through live streaming. Major players like Apple, Nike, L’Oréal, and Lululemon all saw massive success.

What’s really fascinating is watching how consumer behaviour is shifting. Gone are the days when slashing prices 50% was guaranteed to work. Chinese shoppers are getting pickier, and honestly, good for them.

Three things that stood out to YAY COMMS:

1. Live commerce isn’t just trending anymore—it’s becoming THE way to sell. The engagement rates we’re seeing are insane.

2. Platform integration is getting serious. The collaboration between Taobao and Xiaohongshu (think Instagram meets Amazon) is showing real impact—beauty brands are seeing 27% higher conversion rates when they can link directly from content to checkout. What used to take 5+ steps now happens in 2 clicks.

3. Brands using AI for personalisation saw conversion rates spike. Not surprising, but the gap between those who did and didn’t is getting wider.

4. Simplified promotions performed way better than those complicated “buy 3 get 2 free if you spend over X” deals.

Success in China (or with Chinese consumers anywhere) isn’t about having the biggest discount anymore. It’s about authentic connection, smart tech, and actually understanding what your audience wants.

Been thinking a lot about how this applies to brands trying to connect with Chinese audiences globally, not just in China itself. The behaviours and preferences we see during 618 don’t just disappear when these consumers travel or live abroad.