JD.com says 618 shoppers set record
BEIJING — JD.com said its annual 618 shopping festival ended with a record number of users placing orders, a sign that China’s consumers are still responding to heavy promotions even as the country’s e-commerce companies face pressure from regulators and bruising price competition.
The Beijing-based online retailer said the event, which ran from 8 p.m. May 30 through 11:59 p.m. June 18, brought broad growth across retail, services, livestreaming and offline stores. JD.com did not disclose a total gross merchandise value or the exact number of shoppers, a practice Chinese platforms have increasingly avoided as headline sales growth has slowed. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
JD.com said major new product launches by brands rose more than 500% from a year earlier, while the number of new small and medium-sized merchants joining the promotion increased more than 62%. More than 3,000 merchants taking part in 618 for the first time surpassed 1 million yuan, or about $139,000, in transaction volume, the company said. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
The results underscore the continuing importance of 618, China’s largest midyear online shopping event and a key test of household demand. The festival began as a JD.com anniversary promotion but has become an industrywide campaign involving Alibaba, PDD Holdings’ Pinduoduo, Douyin and other platforms.
Growth comes with regulatory pressure
JD.com reported strong demand in services and consumer electronics. Transaction volume for JD Home Services’ home cleaning rose more than 200% year over year, while appliance cleaning rose more than 300%. Orders for in-home nursing and care services for people with limited mobility rose more than 400%, and orders tied to integrated delivery and installation for home appliances and home products increased more than 120%. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
The company also pointed to demand for artificial intelligence products. Transaction volume for AI-powered consumer electronics doubled from a year earlier, while premium smartphones rose 300% and slim, lightweight laptops rose 100%. JD.com said AI products and tools were used across more than 3,000 business scenarios, including retail, logistics, health care, industrial services, food delivery and home services. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Offline retail also contributed. JD MALL recorded a 22% increase in foot traffic and a 32% increase in order volume. The company said its first Shanghai JD MALL store generated more than 120 million yuan in sales during its first three days after opening June 12. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
The upbeat figures came after Beijing regulators warned major platforms, including JD.com, Alibaba, Pinduoduo, Douyin and Xiaohongshu, over alleged irregularities such as misleading advertising and a lack of transparency in subsidy promotions during the 618 period. The warning weighed on Chinese technology shares, with JD.com’s Hong Kong-listed stock falling 2.9% after the regulatory action was reported. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
JD.com entered the festival after reporting first-quarter revenue of 315.7 billion yuan, up 4.9% from a year earlier. Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders fell to 5.1 billion yuan from 10.9 billion yuan a year earlier, reflecting the cost of competition and investment in new businesses. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
The record participation suggests JD.com’s discounts, services and logistics network can still draw shoppers. Whether that demand translates into stronger profits remains less clear.
