Group 1 - Tmall's 618 shopping festival saw over 13,000 brands double their sales in the first hour, with 43 brands including Apple, Midea, and Nike surpassing 100 million yuan in sales, marking a 50% increase in the number of brands in the "billion yuan club" compared to last year [1][4][9] - Beauty brands such as Proya, Lancôme, and L'Oréal achieved over 100 million yuan in sales within the first hour, while 32 products exceeded 10 million yuan in sales within 30 minutes [4][5] - High-end and light luxury sports brands experienced significant growth, with brands like lululemon and Hoka one one seeing sales increases of over 160% and 400% respectively [5][9] Group 2 - Tmall's adjustments to promotional rules, such as eliminating cross-store discounts and lowering coupon usage thresholds, contributed to a better shopping experience, leading to increased brand sales [9][10] - The focus of this year's 618 festival shifted from price wars to high cost-performance competition, emphasizing product quality and service rather than just the lowest prices [10][18] - Tmall's president emphasized the importance of supporting quality brands that can create innovative products and retain customer loyalty [13][20] Group 3 - Major e-commerce platforms, including Tmall and Pinduoduo, are investing heavily in supporting quality merchants, indicating a shift in competition from traffic acquisition to quality enhancement [18][22] - Alibaba plans to invest 2 billion yuan in cash subsidies for brands and merchants during the 618 festival, while Pinduoduo announced a 100 billion yuan support plan over the next three years [20][21] - The simplification of promotional rules is expected to help merchants better plan their sales activities and focus on providing quality products [20][22]