Singles’ Day Trends & Tactics 2023: Unlikely Livestreamers & AI-Powered Bargain-Hunting

Published 16 November 2023

Author
Saska Graville
4 min read

With value top of mind (77% of shoppers planned to reduce spending) and excitement levels lowering (53% versus 2021’s 76% – see Key Stats for both), China’s Singles’ Day (November 11) focused less on star power and more on informed thriftiness. While overall spending is plateauing, unlikely experts reimagined livestreaming’s influence, and AI tools and avatars supported savvier shopping.

Key Stats

General

-1%

Singles’ Day online transactions across China’s three largest platforms – Alibaba’s Tmall, JD.com and PDD Holdings Inc.’s China-only Pinduoduo service – likely slipped about 1% from 2022 to 923.5bn yuan ($127.bn). For a second year, Alibaba and JD.com declined to release overall sales figures

$27bn

First-day e-commerce sales for Singles’ Day 2023 were 196.3bn yuan ($27bn), with Tmall taking 59% and JD.com 32%

$154.5m

E-commerce giant JD.com reported that more than 60 brands surpassed 1bn yuan ($154.5m) in sales on its platform, and almost 20,000 saw transactions triple from 2022. For a second year, JD.com declined to release overall sales figures

77%

More than three-quarters of Chinese consumers planned to reduce their Singles’ Day spending in 2023, or maintain 2022 levels

53%

Singles’ Day isn’t creating the same buzz it once did; levels of consumer excitement dropped to 53% in 2023 from 76% in 2021

48%

Of the shoppers seeking value on Singles’ Day (45% of all participating consumers), 48% said they would opt for cheaper brands or switch to private-label options

$1.54bn

Sales from the first 30 seconds of livestreaming by JD.com’s procurement and sales managers across home appliances, furnishings and lifestyle exceeded 10bn yuan ($1.54bn)

350k

The first week’s livestreaming by JD.com’s procurement and sales managers across home appliances, furnishings and lifestyle saw a tenfold increase in transactions on the previous month, with over 350,000 items sold, and 50 products selling out instantly

146%

Livestreaming Singles’ Day gross merchandise value rose 146% to 181bn yuan ($24.9bn) in 2022, up from 74bn yuan ($10.2bn) in 2021

4x

Tmall’s one-on-one livestreaming service with sale associates for luxury customers has a conversion rate four times higher than the retailer’s text-based customer service

2.08%

2023’s Singles’ Day sales on major e-commerce platforms increased, but the level of growth slowed down compared to 2022, at 2.08% versus 2.9%

45%

Nearly half of consumers are now looking for value in their Singles’ Day shopping, with 35% of that group wanting promotions, and 18% wanting bulk deals

  • JD.com Surprises by Putting Procurement in the Spotlight: Outstripping ‘traditional’ e-commerce sales growth (up 146% in 2022 versus e-commerce’s 3% – see Key Stats), livestream selling produced unexpected stars. Focusing on value and in-depth product knowledge rather than celebrity, the JD Procurement and Sales Manager Livestreaming initiative put Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com’s own product managers in front of over 140 million viewers.

    Trading on the fact that product functionality (82%), authenticity and trustworthiness (83%) have the biggest impact on shopper decision-making factors, while big-name livestreamer recommendations have the least (45%) (AlixPartners, 2023), the low-key managers – far more used to being behind the scenes – held their own alongside the more traditional influencers.

    Within the first 30 seconds of their product presentations and recommendations, sales across home appliances, home furnishings and lifestyle exceeded 10bn yuan ($1.38bn), with over 350,000 items sold and 50 products selling out instantly – all without the usual expense of influencer commission (see Key Stats for more).
  • JD.com Surprises by Putting Procurement in the Spotlight: Outstripping ‘traditional’ e-commerce sales growth (up 146% in 2022 versus e-commerce’s 3% – see Key Stats), livestream selling produced unexpected stars. Focusing on value and in-depth product knowledge rather than celebrity, the JD Procurement and Sales Manager Livestreaming initiative put Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com’s own product managers in front of over 140 million viewers.

    Trading on the fact that product functionality (82%), authenticity and trustworthiness (83%) have the biggest impact on shopper decision-making factors, while big-name livestreamer recommendations have the least (45%) (AlixPartners, 2023), the low-key managers – far more used to being behind the scenes – held their own alongside the more traditional influencers.

    Within the first 30 seconds of their product presentations and recommendations, sales across home appliances, home furnishings and lifestyle exceeded 10bn yuan ($1.38bn), with over 350,000 items sold and 50 products selling out instantly – all without the usual expense of influencer commission (see Key Stats for more).

JD.Com

  • Tmall’s VIP Consultant Livestream for Luxury Shoppers: Tmall also put its retail staff centre stage. Focusing on expert advice, its one-on-one livestreaming service with sales associates (launched in 2022) was used by more than 20 luxury brands. Giving customers private access to specialist sales staff, the initiative has a conversion rate four times higher than the retailer’s text-based customer service.
  • Tmall’s VIP Consultant Livestream for Luxury Shoppers: Tmall also put its retail staff centre stage. Focusing on expert advice, its one-on-one livestreaming service with sales associates (launched in 2022) was used by more than 20 luxury brands. Giving customers private access to specialist sales staff, the initiative has a conversion rate four times higher than the retailer’s text-based customer service.

Tmall

  • Taobao Live’s Big Names Continued to Deliver: The influence of big-name livestreamers may be waning (see The End of the Mega Livestreamer? in Singles’ Day 2022: Key Brand Learnings), but they still had a part to play on Taobao Live, the retailer’s livestreaming platform.

    Chinese former English teacher turned techpreneur and celebrity Luo Yonghao achieved sales of over 100 million yuan ($13.8m) in four hours, including selling out the run of the Adora Magic City cruise to 5,246 guests for 20m yuan ($2.75m). And ‘Lipstick King’ Li Jiaqi (Austin Li) and e-commerce social media influencer Li Xuanzhuo both topped 100m yuan ($13.8m), again in just four hours. (Notably, a previous 20-minute broadcast this summer featuring Xuanzhou and footballer Lionel Messi drew more than 2.5 million viewers).
  • Taobao Live’s Big Names Continued to Deliver: The influence of big-name livestreamers may be waning (see The End of the Mega Livestreamer? in Singles’ Day 2022: Key Brand Learnings), but they still had a part to play on Taobao Live, the retailer’s livestreaming platform.

    Chinese former English teacher turned techpreneur and celebrity Luo Yonghao achieved sales of over 100 million yuan ($13.8m) in four hours, including selling out the run of the Adora Magic City cruise to 5,246 guests for 20m yuan ($2.75m). And ‘Lipstick King’ Li Jiaqi (Austin Li) and e-commerce social media influencer Li Xuanzhuo both topped 100m yuan ($13.8m), again in just four hours. (Notably, a previous 20-minute broadcast this summer featuring Xuanzhou and footballer Lionel Messi drew more than 2.5 million viewers).

Austin Li Jiaqi X Taobao

Luo Yonghao X Taobao

Austin Li Jiaqi X Taobao

Luo Yonghao X Taobao

  • Taobao’s Bargain-Hunting AI: With Singles’ Day sales growth on major e-commerce platforms still increasing, but slowing compared to 2022 (2.08% versus 2.9% last year – Reuters, 2023), and 45% of shoppers prioritising value (Bain & Company, 2023), brands turned to AI-assisted tools to help their customers with more considered decision-making.

    Launched in beta mode in September, Taobao’s generative AI tool Wenwen (meaning “asking” in Mandarin) made its full debut on Singles’ Day. Wenwen answers questions (replying in text and video format) about the most cost-effective buys, giving product recommendations and suggesting further questions to narrow the search. It’s been used by five million shoppers since launch, who’ve asked an average of eight questions each (Alizila, 2023).
  • Taobao’s Bargain-Hunting AI: With Singles’ Day sales growth on major e-commerce platforms still increasing, but slowing compared to 2022 (2.08% versus 2.9% last year – Reuters, 2023), and 45% of shoppers prioritising value (Bain & Company, 2023), brands turned to AI-assisted tools to help their customers with more considered decision-making.

    Launched in beta mode in September, Taobao’s generative AI tool Wenwen (meaning “asking” in Mandarin) made its full debut on Singles’ Day. Wenwen answers questions (replying in text and video format) about the most cost-effective buys, giving product recommendations and suggesting further questions to narrow the search. It’s been used by five million shoppers since launch, who’ve asked an average of eight questions each (Alizila, 2023).
  • Tmall Offers Avatar Try-Ons: Shoppers in Tmall’s Luxury Pavilion could use China’s AI-powered digital avatar generator Miaoya Camera (launched in July 2023, with users uploading selfies to create an AI-generated avatar) to show themselves wearing luxury brands. Used by brands including Weekend Max Mara and Balmain, all items were shoppable on Tmall.

    Tmall’s Luxury Pavilion saw a 1.5x increase in visitor numbers in the first hour of trading at the start of the Singles’ Day sales period (October 24), with brands including Gucci, Burberry and Ralph Lauren selling more in that hour than in the whole day last year (Jing Daily).
  • Tmall Offers Avatar Try-Ons: Shoppers in Tmall’s Luxury Pavilion could use China’s AI-powered digital avatar generator Miaoya Camera (launched in July 2023, with users uploading selfies to create an AI-generated avatar) to show themselves wearing luxury brands. Used by brands including Weekend Max Mara and Balmain, all items were shoppable on Tmall.

    Tmall’s Luxury Pavilion saw a 1.5x increase in visitor numbers in the first hour of trading at the start of the Singles’ Day sales period (October 24), with brands including Gucci, Burberry and Ralph Lauren selling more in that hour than in the whole day last year (Jing Daily).

Miaoya Camera

  • Tmall’s AI-Generated Multi-Brand Float Parade: Also drumming up excitement, AI image generation created Tmall’s Float Parade campaign promotional video. Brands as diverse as Polo Ralph Lauren, MCM, Maison Margiela, Bulgari, McDonald’s, Pampers and Coca-Cola featured as a series of fantastical AI-generated floats, cheered on by an imagined crowd.
  • Tmall’s AI-Generated Multi-Brand Float Parade: Also drumming up excitement, AI image generation created Tmall’s Float Parade campaign promotional video. Brands as diverse as Polo Ralph Lauren, MCM, Maison Margiela, Bulgari, McDonald’s, Pampers and Coca-Cola featured as a series of fantastical AI-generated floats, cheered on by an imagined crowd.