3 6 Ke·2025-10-09 00:10Core Insights - The 2025 Double Eleven shopping festival has started earlier than previous years, beginning on October 9, five days earlier than last year's start date [1] - The event has evolved from a single-day sale to a shopping season lasting over 20 days, reflecting a trend in the e-commerce industry towards extended promotional periods [3][4] Group 1: Evolution of Double Eleven - The initial Double Eleven event in 2009 generated 520 million yuan in sales, leading to exponential growth in subsequent years, with sales reaching 191 billion yuan by 2012 [2] - By 2015, the event had transformed into a "Double Eleven season" starting from November 1, indicating a shift from a single-day event to a longer promotional period [2] - The "Double Festival" model has become a standard, with both Double Eleven and other shopping festivals like JD's "618" extending their promotional timelines [3][4] Group 2: Competitive Landscape - The competition among e-commerce platforms has intensified, with new players like Pinduoduo, Douyin, and Kuaishou entering the market, prompting platforms to extend selling periods to attract more consumers [5][8] - Platforms are extending activity periods to alleviate system pressure and enhance user experience, as previous single-day events led to server crashes and logistics bottlenecks [6] - The shift to longer shopping periods allows merchants to manage inventory more effectively and reduces the risk of stockpiling or shortages [7] Group 3: Market Dynamics and Growth Challenges - The growth rate of Double Eleven has been declining, with Tmall's transaction growth rates decreasing significantly from 1772% in 2010 to just 8.5% in 2021 [10] - The industry is transitioning from a focus on low prices to a competitive strategy centered on price competitiveness across different price segments [10] - New growth engines such as instant retail and AI are emerging, with instant retail services expanding and AI becoming integral to marketing and logistics [11] Group 4: Consumer Experience - Consumers have complex feelings about Double Eleven, desiring transparent rules and genuine discounts while being frustrated by complicated promotions and potential post-sale issues [12][13] - There is a call for platforms and merchants to focus on improving the consumer experience rather than merely competing on promotional timing [14][15]