The 618 Shopping Festival has long been regarded as China's most important e-commerce event. But how has it changed after the pandemic? In this article, we will analyse the key insights from QuestMobile's "2013 618 Insight Report" to shed light on the evolving landscape of the 618 Shopping Festival.
Key Findings
Mobile Shopping Channels
The Unrivalled Powerhouses: Online retail channels have proven indispensable, boasting an impressive mobile shopping industry penetration rate of 90% in November 2022, second only to the mobile social industry. During the 2023 618 period, users adeptly traversed multiple entry points, with mobile social and short video platforms emerging as primary sources. WeChat, QQ, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu accounted for 82.2%, 6.7%, 4.6%, and 2.9% respectively. Meanwhile, Douyin, Kuaishou, Douyin Lite, and Kuaishou Lite reached remarkable figures of 51.3%, 21.1%, 14%, and 10.8%. Brands now prioritize channel efficiency.
Empowering Users
Comprehensive vs. Content E-commerce Platforms: While comprehensive e-commerce platforms emphasize user value, content e-commerce platforms engage in fierce competition for users. Despite some diversion within the mobile shopping industry during the 618 period, traffic remained concentrated during major promotional events. Although user frequency experienced a slight decline, usage duration increased significantly, signifying the efficacy of e-commerce platforms' "user value cultivation" strategies. Notably, user participation before key promotional events surged, indicating consumers' inclination to engage in substantial shopping activities during the 618 period. The marketing cycle for 618 extends from late May to June 18, with a peak daily active user count reaching a staggering 674 million. While the average daily usage frequency per user decreased, the average usage duration per user witnessed a notable rise. This underscores the effectiveness of comprehensive e-commerce platforms' user cultivation strategies, especially evident in platforms like Taobao and JD.com, which observed a YoY increase in daily active users by 11.5% and 14.4% respectively during 618.
Collaborative Advertising
A Catalyst for Conversions: Collaborative advertising across channels during the promotional period remains a pivotal marketing approach for driving conversions. During 618, users have become accustomed to comparing and selecting products across platforms to secure the best value for their money. For platforms, increasing user frequency and usage duration has become more critical than solely acquiring new users.
Content Platforms
The Ongoing Battle for User Acquisition: In contrast to comprehensive e-commerce platforms, content platforms are still vying for user acquisition. Platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou maintain a relatively stable overall daily active user base. To entice users to live-streaming sessions, these platforms continue to undertake offline marketing activities. From May 18 to June 3, Kuaishou and Douyin welcomed 46.79 million and 25.74 million new users respectively.
Platform Collaboration
Fostering an Interconnected Ecosystem: The 618 Shopping Festival witnessed a collective effort by various platforms and brands. Noteworthy collaborations include Taobao and Pinduoduo, sharing a user base of 160 million, while Taobao and JD.com garnered a user base of 127 million. JD.com and Pinduoduo demonstrated an overlap of 65 million users. Douyin and Kuaishou shared 82 million users, Douyin and Xiaohongshu shared 48 million users, and Kuaishou and Xiaohongshu had an overlap of 8.97 million users. This interconnectedness of major platforms during 618 underscores the pivotal role users play in the festival's success.
To discover effective strategies to reach your brand's target audience during the 618 Shopping Festival, contact us today for more information and insights.