Consumers were assisted by the "superbrain" of artificial intelligence.
The 618 Shopping Festival of 2026 is a major mid-year promotional event organized by leading e-commerce platforms such as JD.com, Taobao/Tmall, TikTok, Pinduoduo, and Kuaishou, taking place from May to June 2026. The event officially started on May 12 and lasted until June 20, spanning about 40 days.
The main benefits of this large-scale promotion included platform bonuses, cross-cutting discounts on full purchases in stores, as well as a government subsidy for exchanging old for new, forming a mechanism for multiple benefits. The event cycle is typically divided into several stages: a warming period, a successful start period, a special categories period, a climax period, and a return period, with the main benefits primarily focused on the successful start and climax stages.
The promotion reached a price minimum and peak consumption during the "Successful Start". Additionally, a new highlight was the widespread application of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as AI shopping assistants, AI fitting, smart marketing, and logistics optimization. JD.com implemented its superbrain logistics model, organized AI shopping livestream shows, and Taobao and the Qianwen app realized functional connectivity. JD.com introduced gaming mechanics such as a store growth plan with bait products.
This shopping festival simplified rules, extended deadlines, and increased the volume of subsidies by combining them with a second batch of government subsidy policies for exchanging old for new amounting to 625 billion yuan (80 billion euros). In the field of brand marketing, some brands held themed flash mobs. The livestreaming ecosystem also exhibited new features: AI tools were integrated into some broadcasts, and marketing forms combining offline experiences emerged. Douyin's e-commerce invested in consumer coupon subsidies during the promotion and upgraded AI tools, with the order volume for products related to the "cool economy" increasing.
Consumers could receive bonuses without a minimum purchase threshold by entering special code phrases in the search within e-commerce apps. Each platform released main code phrases for bonuses during the promotion and periodically strengthened them. Consumers could obtain bonuses by entering the corresponding phrases in the app's search. The bonus amount was random, with a set maximum limit. The number of redemptions and the validity period were determined by the rules of each platform. Different platforms established various rules regarding the number of redemptions.
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