# e-commerce
Latest news and articles about e-commerce
Total: 23 articles found
Chinese Open‑Hardware Firm Seeed Studio Takes Desktop Robot Reachy Mini to AliExpress for Global Sale
Seeed Studio has started selling its desktop robot Reachy Mini on AliExpress, offering in‑stock units to international buyers. The move takes a maker‑oriented open‑hardware product into mainstream global retail, with implications for education, hobbyist markets and the internationalisation of Chinese robotics suppliers.
Livestream Glamour, Factory Reality: Inside China’s 'A/B' Online Fashion Problem
Chinese shoppers and consumer complaints reveal a widespread mismatch between high‑quality samples shown in livestreams and the cheaper goods actually delivered, a practice dubbed “A/B” goods. The problem stems from livestream marketing tactics, fragmented supply chains and weak last‑mile quality control, and presents legal, reputational and regulatory risks for sellers and platforms.
China’s Livestreaming Boom Deflates: From Hangzhou’s Tower of Stars to a Nation-wide Reset
China’s livestreaming industry is undergoing a broad correction: rents and anchor incomes have plunged in hubs like Hangzhou even as the national ecosystem remains large. Oversupply, weaker consumer spending, rising complaints and tighter regulation are forcing a shift from spectacle-driven growth to a trust‑and‑quality‑focused model.
Kao Pulls KATE’s Online Flagships from China as It Repositions Upmarket
Kao’s KATE will close its Tmall and Douyin flagship stores on 1 April 2026 as part of an online channel optimisation tied to the group’s wider premiumisation strategy. The move reflects mounting pressure on foreign mass-market cosmetics in China from local rivals and costly platform dynamics, even as Kao retains other China operations and aims to prioritise higher-margin brands.
Meta Joins the AI Shopping Arms Race — Personalization, Not Payments, Is the Opening Move
Meta is testing a shopping feature inside its AI chatbot that delivers personalised product recommendations via a carousel with merchant links but no native checkout. The move joins similar efforts by Google and OpenAI to monetise chatbots, and comes amid a wider industry push toward AI-driven commerce and platform integration.
JD’s ‘Hundred‑Billion Supermarket’ Gamble: Trying to Win China’s Daily Basket
JD has launched a “Hundred‑Billion Supermarket” channel and pledged over RMB20 billion in subsidies to drive roughly RMB200 billion in incremental sales, signalling a strategic push into high‑frequency grocery retail. The initiative intensifies a cross‑platform scramble—Pinduoduo, Alibaba and Meituan are pursuing similar moves—where logistics, supply‑chain scale and the ability to sustain subsidies will determine long‑term winners.
320,000 Down: China’s Smoke-and-Spirits Shops Shrink as Margins Vanish
A steep downturn in China’s dedicated tobacco-and-liquor shops has wiped out margins and closed roughly 320,000 outlets in 2025, reflecting shifts in consumer behaviour, channel strategies and pricing transparency. The result is a structural retail shakeout in which surviving businesses will need new models of service, niche focus or integration with digital channels to stay viable.
Qianwen Pushes From Chat to Checkout with Daily 'First-Order' Discount
Qianwen has launched a 'daily first-order' discount that gives users reduced prices — as low as RMB 3.8 — when they place orders via its one-sentence AI ordering feature, and those discounts can be combined with promotions on major platforms like Taobao, Fliggy and Damai. The move is designed to convert AI-driven interactions into frequent commercial transactions, accelerating Qianwen's shift from research project to consumer-facing commerce channel.
Spring Gala Turns Robots into Hot Sellers: JD Sees Searches Jump Over 300% and Models Sell Out in Minutes
Exposure on China’s Spring Festival Gala produced a sharp, short‑term surge in robot interest on JD.com — searches jumped over 300%, inquiries rose 460% and orders climbed 150%, with several models selling out within minutes. The event demonstrates the Gala’s power to convert cultural visibility into commerce, but sustaining demand will depend on scaling production, lowering costs and building service networks.
Delivering Reunion: How China’s New Year Eve Dinners Became a Booming Delivery Market
Search interest for delivered and takeaway New Year’s Eve dinners in China surged in early February, with several hundred-percent jumps across related search terms. Restaurants and platforms are responding with dedicated delivery services, extended logistics into rural areas and new seasonal product offerings, reshaping how families consume the Spring Festival reunion meal.
China’s Outlet Boom: How suburban “discount bazaars” are remaking retail and reviving spending
China’s outlet centres have surged in popularity, filling a gap left by underperforming urban malls and unreliable e-commerce. Attracting middle-aged men, suburban families and young consumers disenchanted with online shopping, outlets have become suburban multipurpose destinations and a fast‑growing retail channel.
China’s Outlet Mall Boom: How suburban ‘discount havens’ are rewiring post‑pandemic retail
Outlet malls are enjoying a post‑pandemic renaissance across China, drawing a diverse mix of middle‑aged men, suburban families and disenchanted online shoppers with open‑air design, clustered brand offerings and visible discounts. Rapid expansion by established chains and new entrants is reshaping retail geography, but the model faces risks from discount dilution, overcapacity and rising consumer scepticism about promotional authenticity.