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AI Deeply Integrates into Online Retail: E‑commerce Promotions Shift from "Price Wars" to "Efficiency Wars"

AI Deeply Integrates into Online Retail: E‑commerce Promotions Shift from "Price Wars" to "Efficiency Wars"

News2026-06-30

The 2026 "618" e‑commerce shopping festival has come to a close, and one notable change stands out: AI is no longer just an embellishment—it has become the "infrastructure" running through the entire value chain. from digital human hosts working 24/7 shifts, to AI shopping assistants that help compare prices and select products, major e‑commerce platforms have turned AI into a new battleground. The focus of competition has shifted from pure price subsidies to operational efficiency, ecosystem synergy, and the pursuit of long‑term user value.

AI Becomes "Core Infrastructure" with Diverging Platform Strategies
The "618 Consumer Insight Report (2026)," jointly released by China Economic Net Research Institute, the National Academy of Advertising, and Waves Data, points out that AI has rapidly upgraded to become the core underlying infrastructure of e‑commerce promotions, penetrating everything from marketing and customer service to live‑streaming and advertising.

However, the AI strategies of various platforms during the promotion have diverged significantly. JD.com has focused on "short‑term concentrated promotions + full‑scenario AI integration," launching AI digital human live‑streaming, the AI customer service "Jing Xiaozhi," the consumer‑facing agent "Jingyan," and a logistics "superbrain," achieving AI coverage across the entire chain from marketing to fulfillment. Taobao/Tmall has emphasized "extended campaigns + reshaping the AI shopping entry point," fully integrating the Qianwen app with Taobao, allowing users to browse, compare, and purchase products through natural language. Douyin has leveraged its content strength through the "Help You Choose" feature embedded in Doubao, enabling "AI product recommendations + automatic ordering," driving an AI‑driven content loop and end‑to‑end cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

Zhu Keli, Founding Dean of the National Research Institute of New Economy, believes this divergence is rooted in each platform's DNA—JD.com excels in its self‑operated model and supply chain, Taobao/Tmall boasts a vast pool of brand merchants and products, and Douyin has the content advantage of short videos and live‑streaming.

"Platforms are competing on whether they can accurately match user needs through technology, streamline the shopping process, and optimize service experiences. Merchants, too, are no longer relying solely on price cuts to drive volume; instead, they are leveraging AI to create differentiated products, customized services, and immersive consumption scenarios," said Zhu Keli.

Sales Growth Slows as Industry Returns to Rationality
Despite the widespread adoption of AI, sales figures reveal signs of a cooling industry. According to data from Xingtu, the cumulative GMV of the 2026 618 shopping festival across all online platforms reached RMB 934 billion, up 4% year‑on‑year—far below last year's 20.9% growth rate. Offline buzz has also been relatively muted, with media calling it the quietest 618 in 16 years.

Meanwhile, the "618 Consumer Insight Report (2026)" shows that national online retail sales grew 7.7% year‑on‑year, as the e‑commerce industry as a whole shifts from "price wars" to "efficiency wars" and "ecosystem wars." The competitive focus has moved from pure price subsidies to operational efficiency, ecosystem synergy, and long‑term user value.

Lyu Dapeng, Vice President of the China Public Relations Association, analyzed that this is an inevitable outcome of industry development—traffic dividends have largely peaked, the low‑price volume‑driven model is no longer sustainable, and industry competition must eventually return to business fundamentals, namely sustainable development and healthy profitability.

AI Shopping: Looks Great on Paper, But Still Falls Short in Practice
With AI making significant inroads into the shopping experience, what are consumers' actual experiences? At present, the "hassle‑free" side and the "frustrating" side of AI shopping assistants are equally prominent.

On the positive side, AI can indeed save consumers the trouble of comparing and selecting products. Since April this year, user acceptance of AI shopping recommendations has increased, with click‑through conversion rates on Doubao's product cards reaching over 3%. JD.com data shows that during 618, the JoyAI app accumulated over 3 million dialogue users, with service volume increasing more than tenfold compared to last year's Singles' Day.

On the flip side, AI is still not smart enough. Some users have complained on social media: they asked AI to recommend shoes based on their preferences, only to have it dig up old orders for potatoes; they wanted a car cup holder, and the AI suggested a cup with a diameter of 3‑4 centimeters, completely out of touch with reality. Moreover, "one‑sentence shopping" is far from a smooth experience—AI assistants sometimes cannot even identify products that are out of stock, and recommended phone models have already been discontinued.

Even more concerning to users is the issue of trust. An AI shopping assistant appears to be a consumer's personal helper, but it is also a "salesperson" for the platform and merchants. One consumer reported that after buying a face cream based on an AI recommendation, they later discovered that the product was being heavily promoted on Xiaohongshu, leading them to suspect they had "fallen into the algorithm's trap."

According to a pre‑618 survey by National Business Daily, 65%‑70% of users expect AI tools to "organize information, compare prices, and calculate discounts," but only 37%‑48% expect AI to "directly give purchase recommendations or place automatic orders." In addition, many users still miss the joy of "browsing"—the process of selecting, comparing, and discovering surprises—something that AI cannot yet replace.

For Merchants: Easy to Use AI, Hard to Use It Well
For merchants, AI is also a double‑edged sword.

On the positive side: AI does improve efficiency. JD.com data shows that in Q1 2026, the digital human broadcast rate among JD's top merchants reached 80%, at a cost as low as one‑tenth of a human‑hosted live‑stream. After Taobao upgraded its AI customer service "Dian Xiaomi," the average rate of transfers to human agents dropped by 45%, and the average refund retention success rate exceeded 20%. Douyin's Feige AI customer service can save approximately 70% of labor costs.

On the challenge side: AI recommendation rules are not transparent. In the search era, merchants could gain traffic through relatively clear mechanisms such as keyword bidding and ranking optimization. But in the AI recommendation era, the rules have become a "black box"—some merchants even describe AI recommendations as "pseudoscience." AI shopping assistants narrow down recommendation slots to just a handful, making it harder for merchants to get featured and raising the bar for competition.

Furthermore, consumers are beginning to resist AI‑generated content. Some netizens have explicitly stated that "seeing AI‑generated images kills any desire to shop" or "not a single real photo—I have no idea what the product actually looks like." Merchants also admit that AI‑generated materials are highly homogenized and sometimes require rework, saving little time in practice.

Changing Consumption Structure: Service Consumption Outpaces Goods
The "618 Consumer Insight Report (2026)" also shows that during the campaign, categories such as jewelry, clothing and footwear, and cosmetics saw strong growth, while various AI‑powered products like AI headphones and AI companion toys performed particularly well. Notably, the overall growth rate of the non‑physical (service) sector significantly outpaced that of physical goods, exceeding it by 10.7 percentage points, indicating a sustained release of momentum in service‑oriented online consumption.

Lyu Dapeng believes this marks a new turning point in Chinese consumers' spending patterns—mass consumption is beginning to shift toward quality of life and spiritual experiences. The fact that service consumption growth has overtaken physical goods is not merely a short‑term promotional effect, but a sign of profound structural changes in consumption.

Zhu Keli stated that as e‑commerce enters an era of stock competition, there is no room for all platforms to pursue undifferentiated development. Over the next three to five years, different platforms strengthening their respective strengths through AI strategies will become one of the most obvious trends in the industry.

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AI Deeply Integrates into Online Retail: E‑commerce Promotions Shift from "Price Wars" to "Efficiency Wars"