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Alibaba, JD.com sales surge during 618 shopping festival on the back of subsidy programme

Preliminary data shows Apple, Xiaomi, Huawei, Midea and Haier each rang up sales of over US$13.9 million on the two shopping platforms

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Preliminary sales data from this year’s 618 shopping festival shows improved domestic retail spending. Photo: Shutterstock
Ann Caoin Shanghai
Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba Group Holding and JD.com are seeing strong sales momentum in their respective campaigns for this year’s 618 shopping festival, on the back of the government’s national subsidy programme.
Preliminary 618 retail data from Taobao and Tmall Group (TTG), Alibaba’s domestic e-commerce unit, showed sales of categories that benefit from government subsidies – including consumer electronics products and home appliances – surged 283 per cent during the campaign’s initial checkout period from May 13 to May 26, compared with the initial checkout period of its Singles’ Day campaign last year. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

For JD.com, sales of home appliances and electronics rose about 380 per cent year on year in the first hour of its 618 campaign, which started on May 30, according to the latest data on the company’s website.

Both major e-commerce platforms were among the first to join the central government’s renewed trade-in programme. The 2025 programme enables consumers who already claimed subsidies during last year’s roll-out to receive new rebates.

The data from Alibaba and JD.com reflects improved domestic retail spending, as the national subsidy programme offers each consumer a rebate of up to 2,000 yuan (US$278) per item.

Eligible goods include consumer electronics products, such as personal computers and smartphones, as well as a range of home appliances from refrigerators and washing machines to televisions and air conditioners.
A UnionPay advertisement for the midyear 618 shopping festival is displayed at a bus stop in Beijing. Photo: Reuters
A UnionPay advertisement for the midyear 618 shopping festival is displayed at a bus stop in Beijing. Photo: Reuters
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