The numbers are in from the first hours of 6.18 sales on Alibaba Group’s e-commerce platforms Taobao and Tmall, and they paint a picture of strong consumer demand across categories.
Between 8 and 9 p.m. Beijing time on May 20, 28 brands crossed RMB100 million ($14.1 million) in gross merchandise value (GMV), while 216 products alone contributed over RMB10 million in GMV.
By midnight, another 31 merchants had joined the RMB100 million club, and 160 more products had cracked the RMB10 million threshold.
China’s second-largest shopping festival underwent a transformation this year after Alibaba’s domestic marketplaces decided to forgo a pre-sale period in favor of two shopping windows lasting from May 20 to June 20.
The platforms also brought back a popular in-app sales venue where products are 50% off during 6.18, in addition to the traditional 15% off discounts across a wide range of products and the classic “RMB50 ($7.05) off every RMB300 spent” deal.
Consumers are making the most of the sales.
Visit volume by members of Tmall’s 88VIP loyalty program increased by 40% year-over-year on the first day of 6.18 sales, while the number of members who place orders surged over 50%.
The platform’s most loyal shoppers are also buying more: the average order value by 88VIP members increased by over 30% year-over-year.
Driving Demand
A handful of product categories and brands stood out amid the early sales data from Tmall.
Within the first hour of sales on May 20, Apple recorded GMV of over RMB1.5 billion as shoppers flocked to score iPhones and more for less, while smartphone brands like Huawei and Xiaomi reported over RMB100 million in GMV.
Consumers were also quick to stock up on home appliances, as a range of brands in the category— including Haier, Gree and Midea—all notched over RMB100 million in GMV in the first hour.
Shoppers moved with lightning speed to take advantage of deals at beauty brands Proya, Lancome, L’Oreal and Estee Lauder, where GMV topped RMB100 million each in the first 30 minutes of sales alone.
Over 200 brands from the world’s five biggest luxury conglomerates are taking part in this year’s 6.18 sales, and within the first hour, brands like Miu Miu and Valentino saw their sales surpass their full-day sales from last year.
But it’s not just big brands that attracted consumers’ attention—on the first day of sales, 370,000 small businesses saw their GMV double year-over-year.
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