AI‑powered merchandise fuels mid‑year sales surge

China

AI‑powered merchandise fuels mid‑year sales surge

2025-06-20 16:33 Last Updated At：17:27

As China's mid-year promotional season kicked off in mid-May and runs through June 20, a one-month wave of sales events across major e-commerce platforms has reignited consumer spending nationwide.

The results are striking: over 70 percent of the top 100 trending brands on platforms are Chinese, and searches for products featuring "AI elements" and "intangible cultural heritage elements" have surged roughly 120 and 270 percent year over year, respectively.

At an immersive pop-up store in Beijing, many families and tech enthusiasts came to explore AI-powered gadgets. A charming robotic dog drew crowds with its lifelike behaviors, prompting on-site purchases.

Other highlights included AI-equipped smart fridges and TVs with voice interaction and health-management features, robotic arms that efficiently pick up trash; handheld robots that engage children with "100,000 Whys", and rollable-screen laptops, all showcasing cutting-edge home technologies.

"Currently, most home appliances and 3C digital products sold in our store are equipped with large AI models, enabling features such as voice interaction and health management. At present, the sales of AI-powered products have increased by more than twofold month on month," said Chen Rui, deputy store manager of JD Mall's Shuangjing store.

A recent report based on e-commerce platform data and consumer survey indicates demand for AI-enabled products is shifting from novelty to necessity - over 80 percent of respondents prefer devices with AI features, especially smart wearables, home appliances, and smartphones.

"When a product incorporates AI capabilities, it brings a wow factor to Chinese brands. This enhancement is not only reflected in the product's functionality and intelligence but also demonstrates the brand's ability to grasp and lead future tech trends," said Zhang Linshan, a researcher at the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

Regional governments are also promoting "AI plus Consumption" initiatives. In Shanghai, for instance, authorities are fast-tracking AI product launches, building AI-focused retail districts, and improving the consumer environment for AI goods by adopting supporting policies, pooling resources, creating innovation platforms, and attracting enterprises and talent to the AI consumption sector.

Israeli opposition leader Eisenkot officially receives mandate to form gov't

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday formally tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government, giving the former military chief a chance to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Netanyahu's right-wing coalition lost its parliamentary majority in October's election.

Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yashar party, received recommendations from 67 lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament, compared with 46 for Netanyahu.

At the ceremony, Herzog called for unity and a "stable government that can last."

Eisenkot warned that Israel was facing a "critical moment," saying the objectives of its multi-front conflicts "remained unfulfilled," its international relations were in a "devastating crisis," and its democracy was facing one of its gravest challenges.

"If we continue on the current path, we risk reaching a point of no return," he said, calling for new leadership "that people can look in the eye and trust."

He said he was convinced it was possible to form a new government with a substantial majority in the Knesset, and that he was open to Netanyahu's Likud party and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party joining a government under his leadership.

He said they were invited to "support the government under my leadership and the principles I've outlined."

"I intend to be the prime minister of all citizens of Israel, those who voted for me and those who haven't," Eisenkot said.

Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension. Netanyahu will remain caretaker prime minister until a new government is sworn in.

Eisenkot's four-party alliance holds only 48 seats and would need support from Arab lawmakers or other parties to form a government.

Netanyahu on Saturday called for a national unity government, while Eisenkot's party said Likud could join a government led by Eisenkot if it abandoned its far-right allies.

Under Israeli law, if Eisenkot fails to form a government within the allotted time, Herzog may assign the task to another candidate, or at least 61 members of the 120-seat Knesset can ask the president to entrust the mandate to a candidate of their choice. If these efforts also fail, the Knesset will be dissolved and new elections will be held.