"Double" years. This "shopping festival" that has witnessed the rapid development of the e-commerce industry has become a major consumer event with widespread influence. As an important window for observing the Chinese consumer market, what new highlights does this year's "Double" have?

On a certain date, in the First Industry Smart Logistics Park in Qianyuan Town, Deqing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, the East China Logistics Center of Kuaiyu Clothing Co., Ltd., more than a dozen sorting "Little Yellow Man" robots accurately deliver various types of clothing (drone photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency (taken by Ni Lifang).

Longer cycle, greater intensity, and stronger momentum - this year's "Double," arrived earlier than ever. On the 23rd, Douyin and Pinduoduo initiated their pre-promotion campaigns; on the 24th, Tmall and JD.com simultaneously launched their "Double" activities. This indicates that this year's "Double" shopping period will last for about a month, setting a new record for the shopping cycle since the concept of "Double" was introduced.

Extended pre-sale periods allow merchants more time to prepare and ship goods, as well as optimize inventory. Sun Decheng, network management director of Jinan Zhongtong Storage Service Co., Ltd.'s Linyi Distribution Center, said, "Peak consumption occurs multiple times on dates like the 1st, 10th, and 20th of the month, significantly alleviating the pressure of instantaneous traffic."

Many platforms have introduced multiple support policies, continuously increasing the level of discounts, and "pouring" out real money. During the "Double" period, Douyin E-commerce has launched targeted support policies such as "four reductions" and "two optimizations" to help merchants improve quality and efficiency. For new and small-to-medium merchants, the platform has also introduced a series of favorable policies. The head of Douyin E-commerce said that this new merchant exemption is the most generous support policy in the history of the platform.

Government subsidies for the first time "entering the market" have also become a highlight of this year's "Double 11," with the "trade-in" trend surging. "With platform discounts plus government subsidies, after adding one subsidy on top of another, some home appliances and home improvement products are discounted to around 60%, which is indeed very 'attractive'," said Ms. Jia, who purchased multiple home appliances. Suning.com upgraded the "national subsidy, factory subsidy, and Suning subsidy" into a triple subsidy, offering discounts beyond 50%, and introduced a one-price policy for home appliances; since the "Double 11" event fully kicked off, "trade-in" orders have increased by over %.

During the "Double" period, consumers in more than % of the county-level rural areas across the country participated in "trade-in" activities through JD.com. Both online and offline consumption showed strong momentum, with consumer enthusiasm continuing to rise. Reporters observed in multiple cities including Beijing, Jinan, and Shenyang that physical supermarkets, restaurants, and other establishments actively joined the "Double" promotional efforts. In a self-service hot pot restaurant in Jinan, a single-person set meal priced at . yuan recently sold over 000 copies. Zhang Gang, the shop manager, said that enjoying discounts online and services offline has become a normal consumption pattern, indirectly boosting performance growth.

Relevant platform data shows that as of the end of the month, the total online sales for the annual "Double 11" reached 100 billion yuan. "The scope of participating platforms continues to expand, e-commerce infrastructure such as logistics is constantly improving, and merchants have a more accurate understanding of consumers. The domestic market still holds consumption potential," said Li Mingtao, Chief Expert of E-commerce at the China International Electronic Commerce Center.

Why maintain vitality? Industry insiders analyze that the impressive performance of this year's "Double" is the result of multiple policy benefits, platform focus on service, and merchants deeply cultivating the market. "The early introduction of the 'trade-in' policy for consumer goods is a significant benefit," said Xu Dongsheng, Deputy Chairman of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association. Many brands seized the promotional opportunity of "Double" to show strong growth momentum. Data shows that within the first hour of Tmall's "Double" pre-sale event, the overall transaction volume of major appliances increased by % compared to the same period last year.

This year, the competition focus of the platforms has shifted more from price wars to service upgrades. E-commerce platforms have begun to realize the importance of "doing less," no longer using price wars as a gimmick. This year, WeChat Pay has fully integrated into Taobao and Tmall, breaking the payment "barrier" that has existed for years; logistics companies like Cainiao have reached cooperation agreements with multiple platforms. "Platforms doing less does not mean sales will decline. On the contrary, consumers gaining more benefits and better experiences will boost the 'heating up' of the consumer market," said Ding Ying, associate professor of the Department of Marketing at the School of Business, Renmin University of China.

Merchants are also increasingly returning to the essence of focusing on products and user experience. "You can tell me what kind of design you like, and I will help you create a unique piece of jade..." Before the "Double 11" shopping festival, a reporter visited a personalized custom jade studio in Xiuyan, Liaoning, where the "post-90s" owner, Tang Xiao, was live streaming. He said, "Young people understand young people better. The 'e-commerce+' approach has allowed Xiuyan jade to leave the mountains and be loved by more people."

Consumers now have more channels to make their choices. For businesses, the quality of the products and whether they can offer value are key factors in determining sales. Wang Dalong, the head of Shandong Youkexiong Maternal and Infant Products Co., Ltd., said that by improving product offerings, the company's sales during this year's "Double" period increased several times compared to the usual.

Promoting the transformation and upgrading of the e-commerce industry, "Double" is not only an important window for observing the consumer market but also a key node for observing changes in consumer trends. Industry insiders believe that measures such as interconnection in payment and logistics mean that services will return to the consumer-centric approach, allowing consumers to enjoy tangible benefits.

With the continuous development of the "Double" shopping festivals, consumers have higher expectations for shopping experiences, after-sales services such as returns and exchanges, which means that the service capabilities of e-commerce platforms need to be further enhanced. Promoting integrity construction also helps to unleash more consumption potential. Chen Yinjiang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, stated that platforms should continuously stimulate the vitality of the consumption market by establishing a healthy consumer trust, balancing fair rules for both consumers and merchants. Merchants themselves should also focus on brand building, balancing short-term profits with long-term gains.

Leveraging technological empowerment helps further drive e-commerce development and enhance consumer experiences. Platforms can effectively increase content supply and improve competitiveness through technologies like assistants and digital human livestreaming. "The application of artificial intelligence technology in e-commerce scenarios will further expand, and its empowerment across the entire industry will also be further enhanced," said Li Mingtao. While respecting consumer privacy, it is possible to utilize big data, technical analysis, and other means to optimize the entire consumer journey, including purchase consultation, product selection, and after-sales rights protection.

In addition, more market space is worth looking forward to. On a certain date, staff members sorted express delivery items at Cainiao Smart Logistics Park in Ningyang County, Shandong Province (photo taken by drone). Photo by Zhu Zheng, Xinhua News Agency. This year's "Double 11," consumption in county markets was robust, driving an increase in overall sales for many merchants; products catering to interest consumption and emotional satisfaction also performed well. Industry insiders believe that by enriching consumption scenarios, deeply exploring cultural connotations, and focusing on emotional value, e-commerce platforms are continuously creating new market increments, promoting the sustained recovery and improvement of the consumption market.

In Li Mingtao's view, with the deepening application of digital technology, China's e-commerce industry is constantly evolving with new forms and models emerging, such as live commerce and instant retail that integrate the strengths of both online and offline channels. This also to some extent represents the development trend of the global e-commerce industry, and the future overseas market will bring even greater growth opportunities.