Double 11 2025: How “New Essentials” Are Redefining China’s Online Shopping Festival

From emotional self-reward to AI-guided decisions, the next stage of e-commerce growth blends necessity with meaning.

A Rational but Resilient Double 11

Despite years of discount fatigue, Double 11 continues to anchor China’s digital consumer economy. China’s Double 11 e-commerce sales reached ¥1.695 trillion in 2025, marking a 14.2% year-on-year increase. 76% of surveyed users still participated in the festival, and more than 60% spent over RMB 1,000, underscoring its enduring relevance in household consumption planning.

Source: Zhihu

However, the meaning of participation has shifted. Double 11 is no longer the frantic impulse-buying spree it once was; it has become a value-calculation moment, where consumers enter with clear lists, targeted needs, and a stronger sense of control.

Spending concentrated overwhelmingly in “new essentials”, everyday goods that combine practicality with emotional uplift.

The festival has evolved from hype participation (热闹式参与) to rational participation (理性参与), where shoppers chase clarity, not chaos.

Spending Behaviour: Necessities First, Emotions Second

Zhihu’s data shows Double 11 2025 purchasing decisions were guided by two dominant motives: practical necessity and emotional compensation.

New essentials dominated:

• 59.7% bought daily necessities such as home cleaning products, food, and personal care.

• 42.1% upgraded durable goods like home appliances and 3C electronics.

• 39.1% made emotional purchases “to reward myself,” showing that self-care and comfort remain meaningful drivers.

Consumers are not spending less, they are spending with a far more rational and value-oriented mindset. Pre-festival sentiment reveals consumers gravitating toward rationality, transparency, quality, and verified experiences, signalling a decisive move away from impulse purchases. Price sensitivity remains strong with 10.6% of consumers are extremely price-sensitive, while a much larger 51.5% actively compare prices across platforms to secure the best value.

Source: Zhihu

In 2025, Double 11 became a value-verification ritual, where shoppers evaluate not only prices but trust, durability, and emotional payoff.

AI Becomes the New Engine of E-Commerce & Consumer Decision-Making

Double 11 2025 marked a major shift in how AI shapes both shopping behaviour and the e-commerce ecosystem. What began as consumers using AI as a simple shopping assistant has evolved into AI becoming core infrastructure across platforms.

1. AI as the New Shopping Co-Pilot

• 41.8% of users relied on AI tools to compare specifications, summarise reviews, and shortlist products

• 81% were satisfied with AI-generated recommendations

• Zhihu's AI-powered Q&A index for consumer-related questions increased by 31% compared to the 618 shopping festival

Source: Zhihu

Tmall, JD.com, and Douyin rolled out AI-powered search, recommendation, and Q&A features — reducing decision friction and helping shoppers filter noise, spot quality, and buy with confidence.

2. AI as the Infrastructure of E-Commerce

AI now runs through the full Double 11 chain, from discovery and decision-making to pricing, customer service, logistics, and merchant operations.

Key shifts include:

• Smarter product comparison, review summarisation, and discount calculation

• AI-driven search, personalised feeds, and 24/7 customer service

• Automated merchant operations, content generation, and storefront management

Double 11 has entered an era where algorithmic trust, efficiency, and intelligence matter just as much as discounts. It is reshaping how consumers shop and how platforms compete.

Emerging Growth Arenas: The Five “New Essentials” Tracks

Zhihu identifies five breakout categories shaping the next wave of practical yet aspirational consumption:

1. Productivity Consumption — 3D Printers

   Zhihu searches jumped 72% month-on-month, and China’s 3D printing market is projected to exceed RMB 63 billion in 2025.

   3D printers are no longer niche, they represent creative empowerment and personal innovation.

2. Creative Consumption — Smart Shooting Devices

   Handheld cameras, action cams, and vlogging tools surged with 75.68 million related Zhihu posts and 16.2% growth in 30 days.

   As video becomes a social language, devices turn everyday life into creative narratives.

3. Tech Consumption — AI Hardware

   AI glasses (+440%), AI learning tablets (+47%), and AI tutoring devices reflect how intelligence is entering daily life.

   These products merge convenience with cognitive augmentation.

4. Health Consumption — Supplements

   Searches for fish oil (+25%) and CoQ10 (+15%) continue rising, driven by trust in scientific formulation and preventive health.

   Consumers are buying not vitamins, but certainty.

5. Practical Fashion — Outdoor Apparel

   Outdoor wear became daily wear, with over 400% growth in searches for jackets, quick-dry shirts, and Merino wool.

   Durability and versatility have become the aesthetic of 2025.

The Cultural Shift Behind the “New Essentials”

More than any single category, Double 11 reveals a deeper psychological transformation:

Chinese consumers are integrating:

• rational restraint (value, durability, necessity)

• emotional renewal (comfort, reward, meaning)

• tech-guided confidence (AI-supported decisions)

  
  

As one Zhihu user summarised: “AI condensed ten articles into one sentence, it saved me both time and money.”

This blend of practicality and emotion is redefining how value is perceived.

Platform Evolution: Instant Retail, and All-Scenario Commerce

Where consumers became more rational, platforms became more intelligent.

1. Instant Retail Becomes the Fastest-Growing Channel

Instant retail (即时零售) exploded to ¥670 billion GMV, a +138.4% YoY surge.

Top platforms:

• Meituan Flash Delivery

• Taobao Flash Delivery

• JD Express Delivery

Instant retail is no longer a niche, it is reshaping expectations for speed, convenience, and proximity.

2. Platforms Shift to All-Scenario, All-Cycle Retail

Syntun’s report highlights the industry pivot toward:

• All Scenarios (全场景)

• Long-Cycle(全周期)

• Full-Chain Retail Ecosystems (全链路)

  
  

Examples:

• Tmall: AI-driven curation + 88VIP loyalty flywheel

• JD: Logistics intelligence + multi-format retail (travel, beauty, fresh food)

• Douyin: Emotional commerce + AI-recommended goods

• Pinduoduo: Strengthened “10-billion-subsidy” ecosystem

• Xiaohongshu: Content → commerce → payment closed loop

• Meituan: Brand-operated instant warehouses
  

Double 11 is moving from “platform vs. platform” to ecosystem vs. ecosystem.

Category Winners: Appliances, Digital, Beauty Take the Lead

Syntun highlights the top-performing categories by GMV share:

1. Home Appliances — 16.5%

2. Mobile & Digital — 14.6%

3. Apparel — 14.0%

4. Beauty & Personal Care — 8.2%

Home appliances and digital electronics maintained leadership, driven by AI home devices, smart products, and consumer upgrading.

Beauty remained resilient, while food & beverage, sports/outdoor, and mother & baby also performed steadily.

Strategic Takeaways for Brands and Retailers

1. Simplify pricing and strengthen trust

   Consumers are rejecting complex discounts. Transparent, easy-to-understand pricing now outperforms aggressive “math-problem” promotions.

2. Optimise for AI discovery and recommendation

   With 41.8% of shoppers relying on AI tools, products must be AI-search-friendly. Descriptions, specs, and reviews should be structured for algorithmic visibility.

3. Position products within the “new essentials” mindset

   Functional value (durability, practicality) + emotional value (comfort, reward) are now the twin pillars of Double 11 purchasing logic.

4. Leverage instant retail for high-frequency demand

   The surge in 30-minute delivery and near-store fulfilment shows that proximity and speed convert consumers more efficiently than discounts alone.

5. Use content platforms as decision hubs

   Zhihu, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu have become “pre-purchase research spaces.” Expert-driven content and scenario guidance now influence high-intent users more than price alone.

6. Think ecosystem-first, not channel-first

   Double 11 has shifted from “platform vs platform” to “ecosystem vs ecosystem.” Brands must plan cross-platform journeys, longer engagement cycles, and multi-scenario touchpoints.

Conclusion

Double 11 2025 marked a decisive shift from impulsive buying to meaningful consumption, driven by rational evaluation, emotional value, and AI-assisted confidence. As shoppers seek clarity, efficiency, and reassurance, and platforms evolve into intelligent, all-scenario ecosystems. The brands that win in 2026 will be those that combine trust, technology, and human relevance at every touchpoint.

Reach out to our team to explore how your brand can engage China’s “new essentials” consumer, optimise for AI-led decision journeys, and build strategic pathways that align with the next era of rational, emotionally driven e-commerce growth.