AI‑powered merchandise fuels mid‑year sales surge

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.

AI‑powered merchandise fuels mid‑year sales surge

Nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated near Bordeaux, a city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department, as wildfires rage on in southwestern France.

Water-bombing aircraft swooped low over the fires raging outside Bordeaux, but load after load of water disappears into the flames.

"The intensity is enormous. We already had a fire in 2022 in the same spot. It started right here. As you can see, there's nothing left. And four years later, we're back in the same place," said Arnault Des Granges, a firefighter.

Twenty kilometers west of Bordeaux, the biggest of the 32 fires raging out of control in the south of France is scorching the pine forest.

"It's so terrible that the fire is hard to control. The fire is 500 meters away, and the flames are leaping 500 meters. With the wind they're forecasting at 80 kilometers per hour, I don't think we'll put it out. It's going to spread," Granges said.

A bit further down the road, the race was on to get horses out. Spooked by the smoke and noise, they were rushed onto trailers and driven to safety.

At a makeshift reception center, beds were laid out, and huge quantities of food prepared for exhausted firefighters.

"We're making them some paella and camembert with fries. That way they can eat and regain their strength to fight the fire," said a staff member at the center.

Around 200,000 evacuated as wildfires rage on in southwestern France