JD.com hat die 618-Shopping-Feier "radikal verändert".
Recently, Li Maolin, a pen collector enthusiast from Shenyang, received a "windfall". He bid 39,000 yuan on JD.com's auction platform to win a pen with a market price of over 260,000 yuan, saving 220,000 yuan and becoming a lucky "bargain hunter".
This pen, named "Montblanc Peacock", is a collectible limited to only 8 pieces globally. Each pen cap is inlaid with natural malachite, combining both craftsmanship value and rarity. On the evening of May 22nd, during JD.com's "Enthusiast Surprise Day", this pen was put up for auction starting at 1 yuan. After multiple rounds of bidding, Li Maolin won the bid.
More and more "lucky ones" are being hit by JD.com. On May 27th, during the "Gourmet Surprise Day" held by JD.com, a 100 - jin watermelon king grown in Panggezhuang, Beijing, was auctioned off for 13,973 yuan by a user. More than 100,000 people made reservations for the "watermelon king" auction that day, and relevant hot searches quickly dominated various social networks.
This is the prelude to JD.com's 618 promotion, and it also indicates a different 618 from previous years - consumers no longer have to worry about complex coupon calculations but return to the essence of "carnival".
JD.com is the initiator of the 618 promotion. However, after 21 years, it must adapt to the new era. So this year, while providing benefits to consumers, JD.com has actively "transformed" 618 into a fun party full of food, drinks, and entertainment, establishing an emotional connection with consumers and making "shopping" more interesting.
The Chinese e - commerce promotion, which has a history of nearly 20 years, has evolved once again.
Targeting Users' Emotional Value
JD.com started in the 3C digital and home appliance fields, which has formed a strong perception among users. Compared with daily necessities, these high - value standard products don't require fancy marketing tactics. Good quality, excellent service, and low prices are enough to attract users to make purchases. Therefore, for a long time, JD.com has been a platform where users "buy and leave".
However, the gameplay of shopping platforms is changing. The "New Youth Consumption Trend Report" released by MarketingResearch shows that young people's consumption decisions are increasingly returning to the essence of "self - pleasure". Especially young consumers aged 18 - 30 are more inclined to "spend for themselves". "Discounts" and "services" are still key factors in purchase decisions, but not the only ones.
This also means that JD.com, known for being straightforward, also needs to explore emotional resonance with users and transform from a "straight - laced guy" to a "gentle and caring guy".
In the past two years, it's not hard to see JD.com's frequent efforts in building a content ecosystem. As early as 2024, JD.com's procurement and sales live - streaming events became popular among young people. And during this year's 618, JD.com has proposed a "2 + 6" gameplay for the first time, which includes two theme concerts: the JD.com 618 Summer Concert on the evening of May 31st and the JD.com 618 "Happy Night" on the evening of June 17th, as well as six major promotion events, namely the Enthusiast Surprise Day, Gourmet Surprise Day, Children's Day Surprise Day, Trendy Surprise Day, Home - Loving Surprise Day, and E - sports Surprise Day.
Behind this is a change in JD.com's thinking. In the past, when JD.com held large - scale promotion events such as 3C category days and home appliance category days, the event settings were more based on the internal business department divisions. But this year's 618 has rarely broken through the business boundaries, with the starting point being users' interest circles.
In addition to the re - arrangement of business and products, JD.com has also officially announced 7 "JD.com 618 Surprise Ambassadors", with each star or IP "endorsing" a specific surprise day.
For example, Lei Jiayin, who starred in "The Lifelong Mission", has become the JD.com 618 Surprise Ambassador and the Fresh Food Spokesperson, helping to promote the "Gourmet Surprise Day"; Zhang Yixing has become the JD.com 618 Surprise Ambassador and the Trendy Spokesperson, boosting the popularity of the "Trendy Surprise Day"; the three classic animation IPs from Shanghai Animation Film Studio, Nezha, Sun Wukong, and Huluwa, have become the main attractions of the "Children's Day Surprise Day", attracting the attention of both "big kids" and children.
JD.com has also put effort into content operation, setting up many interesting interactive games for each surprise day. For example, limited - edition pens like the "Montblanc Peacock", a Hasselblad camera worth more than 500,000 yuan, and the right to pick fruits from a millennium - old litchi tree in Guangxi are all up for auction starting at 1 yuan. While attracting a lot of attention on social networks, these auctions also bring real happiness to participating users, achieving a win - win situation for the platform and users, which also reflects the original intention of 618.
Is It Necessary to Hold a Promotion Gala?
In addition to the surprise days, the two theme galas planned by JD.com during this year's 618 are also quite eye - catching.
A grand gala used to be a standard feature of e - commerce promotions. As early as 2016, when Alibaba was transforming into new retail, a gala with many stars attracted consumers' attention. Since then, holding galas has become a tradition for promotions. In 2020, there was even a situation where four Double Eleven galas were held simultaneously.
In 2024, many e - commerce platforms reduced the scale of their galas. This is the result of platform strategy adjustment: when promotion activities are overwhelming and users' attention is more and more scattered, the input - output ratio of galas has significantly declined, and consumers care more about the actual benefits they get.
But this year, the situation seems to have changed. Leading e - commerce platforms have started to try galas again, and JD.com is the one taking the lead with two galas.
On May 31st, the JD.com 618 Summer Concert will kick off at the new Workers' Stadium in Beijing. The lineup of the concert is quite rich, including stars from three generations such as Aaron Kwok, Leo Ku, Li Yuchun, Gigi Leung, Liu Yuning, R.E.D, Joey Yung, Su Xing, Alec Su, Wang Yuexin, and Zhang Yixing.
JD.com has invited guests who can reach audiences of all ages, are more down - to - earth, and can easily resonate with the audience emotionally. Li Yuchun, Su Xing, and Wang Yuexin evoke memories of the Super Girl and Happy Boy shows that swept across the country 20 years ago; the reunion of Alec Su and Leo Ku, the two generations of "Prince Yongqi", can instantly transport people back to the wonderful summer vacations of their childhood when they were chasing the TV series "My Fair Princess".
As soon as the music starts, youth returns. Each person and each song has a unique connection with the audience's experiences and emotions, which is also the fundamental reason why star concerts of Luo Dayou, Jacky Cheung, and Dao Lang have been popular in recent years. JD.com doesn't regard this concert as a purely commercial activity. It has given away more than 30,000 tickets through lottery and other methods on its APP, allowing users to "get freebies" of concert tickets while shopping, returning to the most essential meaning of the promotion: bringing pure happiness.
On June 17th, near the end of the promotion, the "JD.com 618 Happy Night" jointly created by JD.com and Hunan TV will be staged. At that time, the top three contestants of the JD.com Campus Star Talent Contest will take the stage as "amateur stars" and join many other stars to push the atmosphere of 618 to a climax.
As e - commerce promotions have developed to the present, in addition to expecting low prices, good products, and excellent services, users also expect platforms to show a sincere attitude, which tests the platform's ability to establish an emotional connection with users.
Audience doesn't need galas where platforms show off their strength and tell grand stories. A well - prepared gathering for different circles that is easy to participate in, interact with, and can arouse resonance will always have strong appeal and influence.
Finding a Phone in Takeout, JD.com's New Gameplay
JD.com is one of the few e - commerce platforms that started with self - operated business. This model, which was not initially favored, has become the foundation for JD.com to establish advantages in price, quality, and service, and it also facilitates the rapid development of online - offline related business forms. For example, the offline shopping malls JD Mall that have opened one after another, and the recently highly - concerned JD Takeout.
What's more worth mentioning is that during JD.com's 618, these business forms have produced a wonderful chemical reaction, giving new gameplay to the promotion.
For example, the integration of JD Takeout and retail. Such cases are no longer rare: users order takeout on JD.com and unexpectedly receive a mobile phone. This is a fun activity carried out during JD.com's 618. When ordering JD Takeout, users may win a mobile phone, a fruit basket, or other products. At the same time, users who shop on JD.com also often have the opportunity to get large - value takeout coupons.
The gameplay of JD Mall is more diverse. The JD Mall on the South Third Ring Road in Beijing, which opened on May 31st, will become the largest national subsidy experience store for integrated home appliances, home furnishings, and 3C products in Beijing. It is reported that this store has set up various business forms such as a food baking experience area and a bookstore. In addition, events like the "Empresses in the Palace" theme carnival and the water - friend competition of professional e - sports teams will also be held. Services such as JD Decoration and JD Housekeeping have also settled in, aiming to achieve an upgrade of the offline business form with "immersive experience + full - category coverage + scene - based services".
On June 18th, JD.com will also open the "Seven - Fresh Gourmet Mall" in Harbin. This complex that combines food, shopping, and leisure has joined hands with 10 well - known online food brands to open their first stores in Harbin. Previously, JD Takeout focused on high - quality takeout. After the opening of the Seven - Fresh Gourmet Mall, it will realize the linkage of "high - quality dine - in + high - quality takeout", providing users with reliable food services.
Although 618 officially starts at 8 p.m. on May 30th, JD.com's intentions have already shown initial results.
Data released by JD.com shows that the pre - heated Enthusiast Surprise Day attracted more than 30 million users to flood into JD.com, and the number of people watching the auctions increased by more than 6 times compared with the previous period. On the Gourmet Surprise Day, the turnover of categories such as snacks, alcoholic beverages, and fresh produce in JD Supermarket increased by more than 100% year - on - year.
The JD.com 618 Summer Concert has also ignited people's enthusiasm. Many fans of Zhang Yixing shared their experiences of ordering takeout after getting "Zhang Yixing fans' exclusive takeout coupons" on JD.com, creating a "Zhang Yixing - style" lunch, which has become a hot topic on various social platforms. With the support of a series of pre - heating activities, the turnover of JD.com's procurement and sales live - streaming in the past 20 days has increased by nearly 4 times year - on - year.
"The real 618 starts at 8 p.m. on May 30th on JD.com" - this is the promotional slogan that JD.com has recently put forward. What is the "real 618"? Different people have different understandings. But in JD.com's view, the "real 618" doesn't lie in who founded it, nor in who is more wealthy, but in whether it truly puts users' experience first.
Users' experience is not just about price. It also includes guaranteed quality, undiminished service, and real emotional resonance that hits users' hearts. Obviously, JD.com has thought clearly enough about this 618.
(Note: Li Maolin is a pseudonym)