E-commerce platforms are popular at 618 sales festivals

Major Chinese e-commerce platforms posted positive results during the mid-year 618 sales festival, where buyers opted for imported products and niche segments, and domestic brands also shone.

JD.com said it set new records in both transaction volume and order number. Under the slogan “Affordability and Quality”, it attracted over 500 million buyers during the shopping festival that has been ongoing since the end of May.

As of Wednesday midnight, more than 36,000 brands had doubled their sales, and 365 leading players achieved revenue of more than 100 million yuan ($13.78 million) on Tmall, according to Alibaba.

Shanghai-based financial consultant Kiki Cheng said she jumped at the chance to buy a new sports camera. “I found the discount very attractive and instead of everyday shopping, it was a good opportunity to buy products at great prices,” she explained.

The 618 mid-year shopping gala is the second-biggest promotional event after November’s Singles’ Day, with brands rushing to attract customers with new offers.

JD said the total number of orders from Shanghai customers during the week-long promotional campaign ranked sixth among domestic cities and municipalities.

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Local players have managed to attract buyers with their latest value-for-money products and niche features.

Domestic apparel players such as Banana-in and LiNing were among the top-selling sun jacket brands on retail site Douyin.

Imported brands were also popular. Nintendo gaming consoles and tech company Dyson showed steady growth, while premium beauty brand La Mer saw a 270 percent increase in sales on Tmall Global.

On Pinduoduo, sales of Skyworth TVs more than tripled in the first week of a promotional sale in late May, and the brand launched a store on the budget e-commerce platform in March.

Alibaba and JD did not disclose gross merchandise value or total online transaction volume during the promotion. However, both have taken a more pragmatic and simpler approach, canceling the pre-sale period and allowing direct purchase from the end of May.

According to JD, outdoor equipment, apparel and sportswear were in high demand among shoppers in Shanghai, with smart devices, tech gadgets and nutritional supplements among the best-selling items.

Order volumes on JD’s on-demand delivery platform for electronic accessories increased by 177 percent and for sports and outdoor products by 166 percent year-on-year.