Chinese shoppers have bought or plan to buy on an average of 2.9 platforms during this year’s 11.11 festival, 0.8 fewer than a year earlier, according to a survey by research firm iResearch (艾瑞咨询) that 36Kr republished on 29 October. They plan to buy 3.7 categories, down 1.2. The report also covers category plans, attitudes to discounts and AI, offline shopping, and JD.com’s channel shares for 12–23 October.
Shoppers are using fewer platforms and buying fewer categories
iResearch’s survey found that the average shopper has bought, or plans to buy, on 2.9 platforms and across 3.7 product categories this 11.11. Both figures are lower than in the same period last year, by 0.8 platforms and 1.2 categories.
Overall activity did not fall. iResearch’s UT monitoring shows that between 12 and 23 October, average daily unique devices and average daily total usage time on online shopping platforms were both higher than in the same period of 2025.
Daily necessities, apparel and electronics lead purchase plans
Daily necessities had the highest planned purchase rate, at 62%. Apparel and footwear followed at 61%, and electrical products as a group at 60%. In the electrical category, 80% of respondents said they were paying more attention to digital products and home appliances because of richer AI features, more new products, finer segmentation, better performance or subsidies.
Share of respondents planning to buy, 2026 11.11 · Source: iResearch, ‘Double 11 Observation: How 2026 Double 11 Rebuilds the Value of Big Promotions’, via 36Kr, 29 October 2026
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| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Daily necessities | 62% |
| Apparel and footwear | 61% |
| Electrical products | 60% |
Sixty-nine per cent say discounts alone are not enough
Sixty-nine per cent of respondents said 11.11 would lose some or much of its appeal if it offered only discounts. Beyond price, they named genuine products, product quality, price protection, after-sales service, delivery speed and easy returns as the factors they value.
The same share, 69%, said they actively look at or buy new products and services during 11.11, and 45% are particularly interested in products or services that suit them better or solve practical problems. Eighty-nine per cent said they had often or occasionally found good products during promotions that they had not noticed before.
AI draws interest, but 82% call some tools gimmicks
Eighty-five per cent of respondents said AI has potential or matters to shopping. At the same time, 82% said some AI applications are still gimmicks that stop at chat, recommendations and generated copy, and do not change the shopping experience.
iResearch described different approaches: Taobao and Tmall focus on AI shopping guides, JD.com applies AI to consumers, merchants and logistics, and Douyin combines consumer-facing guides with merchant tools.
Most shoppers also take part offline
Eighty-five per cent of respondents also take part in the promotion through store visits, instant delivery from nearby stores, home services or coupons used in store, and 79% want stores, instant delivery and home services to carry the same offers. Sixty-two per cent favour trying products offline and buying online, while 57% favour choosing online and trying in store.
For JD.com, 65% of respondents said they had visited a JD offline store during 11.11, and 87% of those visitors made a purchase. On services, 73% of respondents knew services can be bought online; of those, 71% had bought services in the past 12 months.
JD.com leads online sales of electronics and appliances in the first half
iResearch’s sales data for the first half of 11.11 put JD.com first among channels in four electrical categories. JD.com accounted for 66% of online sales of computers and office products, 61% of mobile phones and digital products, 60% of large appliances and 44% of small appliances. In stated channel preference, 71% of respondents chose JD.com for large appliances.
JD.com share of online sales, 12–23 October 2026 · Source: iResearch, ‘Double 11 Observation: How 2026 Double 11 Rebuilds the Value of Big Promotions’, via 36Kr, 29 October 2026
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| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Computers and office | 66% |
| Mobile and digital | 61% |
| Large appliances | 60% |
| Small appliances | 44% |
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Platforms used or planned per shopper | 2.9 (down 0.8) |
| Categories planned per shopper | 3.7 (down 1.2) |
| Say discounts alone reduce 11.11’s appeal | 69% |
| Found good products they had not noticed | 89% |
| Say some AI apps are gimmicks | 82% |
| Take part offline as well | 85% |
| Visited a JD.com store; of those, bought | 65%; 87% |
The report also notes that this year’s promotion periods on Taobao and Tmall, JD.com and Douyin are shorter than last year, Pinduoduo’s is unchanged at 30 days, and Kuaishou’s has been extended to 40 days.
Coming next · We can follow up with official category results from the second phase of Tmall and JD.com’s 11.11 once they are published.
