Core Insights - The 17th Double 11 shopping festival has started with pre-sales beginning on October 15 and lasting until November 11, with significant sales performance reported in the first hour [1][3] - Major beauty brands have shown remarkable growth, with over 80 brands achieving sales exceeding 100 million yuan in the first hour, surpassing last year's performance [1][2] - Despite impressive sales figures, there are concerns regarding collective refunds and brand dissatisfaction among consumers, indicating potential issues with the shopping experience [3][4] Sales Performance - The first hour of sales saw 30,516 brands doubling their sales compared to last year, with 18,919 brands exceeding last year's total sales for the entire day [1] - Beauty brands led the sales, with brands like Proya, Estée Lauder, and SK-II achieving over 100 million yuan in sales within minutes of the launch [1][2] - Li Jiaqi, a prominent live-streaming host, experienced a 45% increase in visitor numbers in the first hour of his live stream, with significant growth in categories like beauty and maternal products [2] Consumer Concerns - There are reports of collective refunds and dissatisfaction with pricing strategies, particularly related to Li Jiaqi's live stream, where consumers expressed frustration over price discrepancies [4][8] - Brands such as Proya and Winona faced backlash for unclear promotional strategies and unexpected changes in discount offerings, leading to consumer complaints [12][16] - The complexity of discount mechanisms and promotional rules has led to consumer confusion, with many feeling overwhelmed by the various offers and conditions [20][21] Market Dynamics - The evolving nature of Double 11 has shifted from a straightforward shopping event to a more complex competition for discounts, leading to consumer fatigue [22][23] - The introduction of various promotional strategies, such as shopping credits and surprise discounts, has complicated the shopping experience, prompting calls for simplification [24][27] - Industry experts suggest that platforms should focus on enhancing user experience rather than merely pursuing gross merchandise volume (GMV) [25][27]

Core Insights - Tmall's Double 11 pre-sale began on October 15, with significant growth in user engagement and sales through Taobao Live, surpassing last year's performance [1] Group 1: User Engagement - In the first hour, the number of users placing deposits through Taobao Live saw double-digit growth, with over one billion live streams, exceeding the same period last year [1] - Li Jiaqi's live stream experienced a visitor increase of over 45% in the first hour, with a positive year-on-year growth in GMV for add-to-cart items [1] Group 2: Sales Performance - Key categories such as beauty, maternal and infant products, fashion, and food showed outstanding performance, with some categories experiencing growth of nearly 80% [1] - Notable beauty brands like SkinCeuticals, La Roche-Posay, SK-II, Clarins, and Proya achieved over one billion in sales for their star products, while domestic brands like Huazhi Xiao, Proya, Weinuona, and Natural Hall also ranked high in beauty product sales [1]