Double 11 Ends Without Sales Data… Again
The highly anticipated ‘Double 11’ shopping festival has wrapped up, and for the third consecutive year, major e-commerce platforms Tmall and JD.com have chosen not to disclose GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) data.
This trend started in 2022 when both companies stopped publicizing specific sales figures, marking a shift from previous years.
The last time they shared sales numbers was in 2021, with Tmall hitting RMB540.3 billion and JD.com reaching RMB349.1 billion.
Analysts have speculated that the Chinese e-commerce market might have reached its peak in 2021, potentially leading to this change in approach.
While overall transaction figures remain under wraps, both platforms shared notable achievements for this year.
Tmall reported that 402 brands surpassed RMB100 million in sales during the event, including 243 domestic brands, highlighting the growing dominance of local names.
Additionally, over 38,000 brands saw a year-over-year sales increase exceeding 100%, while the event attracted more than 800 million unique users – a new record.
The number of Tmall 88VIP members also reached 32 million, with transaction volumes showing double-digit growth, according to official releases.
Meanwhile, JD.com announced record-breaking sales, order volume, and user numbers for its 11.11 event, with over 60 brands achieving sales above RMB1 billion, and around 20,000 brands experienced a more than threefold increase in sales compared to last year.
Despite the absence of total sales data, the list of top-selling items offered insights into consumer preferences.
Mobile phone sales ranking on JD.com. Image via JD.com
On JD.com, Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max were the top-selling mobile phones, with Apple also leading in total mobile phone sales.
Tmall Toys of the Year. Image via Tmall
In the children’s toy category, Jellycat’s Vivacious Vegetable Eggplant plush became Tmall’s most recommended toy of the year, prompting Chinese netizens to joke about the ‘Eggplant’ emoji symbolizing the ups and downs of life, explaining its popularity.
For countless shoppers in China, ‘Double 11’ has become an annual ritual of ‘剁手’ (duò shǒu), a self-deprecating expression meaning ‘to chop off one’s hand,’ symbolizing the thrill and regret of overindulging in shopping.
Did you participate in this year’s ‘Double 11’ frenzy and give in to the allure of online deals? Stay tuned to our WeChat account, ThatsGBA, for more updates on intriguing trends and insights from China.
[Cover image via Qianjiang Evening News]
