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
The price of aluminum, a key industrial metal used in automotive manufacturing, construction and packaging, has been climbing as production cuts in the Gulf region, logistical constraints and Iranian attacks on two regional producers over the weekend tightened supply.
On March 31, the benchmark London Metal Exchange (LME) three-month price for aluminum rose to 3,535 U.S. dollars per metric ton, a year-on-year increase of around 40 percent.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that they launched missile and drone strikes on aluminum plants in Bahrain and the UAE that are linked to the U.S. military and aerospace industries, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iranian steel factories.
Emirates Global Aluminium issued a statement saying that its Al Taweela site in the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi was severely damaged after Iranian strikes, with some employees injured.
Aluminum Bahrain confirmed in a statement on Sunday that some of its facilities were struck by Iranian attacks, resulting in injuries to two employees.
The two aluminum plants have a combined annual output of 3.2 million tons, more than half of the approximately 6 million tons of aluminum produced every year by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.
The region is a key source of aluminum supply, accounting for about 9 percent of global production.
Goldman Sachs on Tuesday raised its LME aluminum price forecast from 3,200 U.S. dollars to 3,450 U.S. dollars per ton for the second quarter of 2026 after the attacks on the facilities.
Goldman Sachs also predicted a global primary aluminum market supply deficit of 570,000 tons in 2026, a sharp turnaround from its previous forecast of a 550,000-ton surplus.
Analysts point out that the aluminum market is currently facing multiple shocks, with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz disrupted, aluminum production facilities in the Gulf damaged or even shut down, and production in other parts of the world currently limited.
The impact will also spread to downstream enterprises in the coming months, with higher-cost aluminum alloys, primarily used in the aerospace, automotive, and construction industries, facing the most constrained supply, analysts said.
The Gulf region has long been a significant source of these high-end products, particularly for the European market, and also supplies manufacturers in the United States.
Aluminum prices climb as effects of Middle East tensions spread through global economy
