Double Eleven’s Cooling To A Historic Low? A Necessary Step Toward E‑commerce Maturity

This year’s “Double Eleven” concluded at midnight, yet compared with prior years, the buzz felt muted—some media even called it “a quiet Double Eleven”—despite platforms straining to capture attention. By late October, e‑commerce firms had already bought splash‑screen “shake‑to‑jump” ads across major apps so that browsing Weibo, checking news, or listing second‑hand items would instantly redirect to Taobao; the running joke was that the only app that wouldn’t jump to Taobao during Double Eleven was Taobao itself.

Double Eleven’s sense of presence appears to have hit a low. From a data perspective, the narrative of waning enthusiasm is not entirely precise. As of 23:59 on November 11, 2025, JD.com hit a new record for Double Eleven: orders rose nearly 60%, and the number of purchasing users climbed almost 40%.

The catch is that JD.com kicked off its Double Eleven campaign on October 9—nearly a full month before the actual day. On platforms like Xiaohongshu, many joked that “Double Eleven ended before it began,” and others complained the shopping festival feels perfunctory. The old ritual of waiting until midnight to pay for a half‑price phone has faded. Even when buying during the season, consumers now tend to “order when it comes to mind,” rather than waiting for the symbolic 0:00 on November 11.

Lei Technology contends that this “extended carnival” has diluted the holiday atmosphere. Shoppers are already accustomed to lengthy presale periods; the shift from a “point burst” to “continuous bombardment” has eroded anticipation. In short, Double Eleven’s meaning has changed.

Lei Technology further argues that Double Eleven no longer holds the distinction of being the only moment for low prices. Historically, it stood for the year’s deepest discounts when brands cleared inventory, platforms fought for traffic, and consumers stocked up—often within the first hour after midnight.

By 2025, that concentrated logic has been rewritten. Even aside from early presales, platform‑level discounts and national subsidies have reshaped the e‑commerce landscape over the past two years.

Since last year, government initiatives such as “trade‑in” and “green subsidies” have covered almost all consumer categories—appliances, electronics, mobility, home. Unlike the date‑bound Double Eleven, these subsidies run for months until regional funds are depleted. The process is straightforward: claim eligibility, place the order, and the subsidy applies directly at checkout, with no complicated hoops.

Unsurprisingly, consumers are shifting portions of big‑ticket spending into the subsidy window. Platforms themselves are dispersing the draw of traditional discount days like 618 and Double Eleven, converting concentrated promotions into lasting, steady, and sustainable deals. JD.com’s “Hundred Billion Subsidy,” Pinduoduo’s “Daily Double Eleven,” and Douyin Mall’s “limited‑time flash sales” exemplify the trend.

Put simply, Double Eleven’s cooling does not portend decline; it signals the maturation and transition of e‑commerce. Yet Double Eleven still carries distinct value: it has become a gateway for consumers to try new categories.

A decade ago, Double Eleven meant buying cheap staples—shampoo, tissues, detergent, phones, TVs—anything stockable. Today, with more mature consumption and fiercer brand rivalry, shoppers want to invest in “better living,” such as floor washers, dishwashers, dryers, and action cameras. The reinvented Double Eleven creates a low‑cost entry point for lifestyle upgrades.

Consider smart‑cleaning brands like Dreame: floor washers, almost from zero a few years back, have rapidly moved from “concept” to “household staple.” During this Double Eleven, Lei Technology observed a Dreame floor washer originally priced around 1,300 yuan dropping to just over 900 yuan after trade‑in and platform subsidies.

JD.com’s figures mirror this shift: by 23:59 on November 11, 3C digital AI products saw transaction value more than double year‑on‑year, with smart glasses up 346%, digital cameras up 238%, and action cameras up 220%. These seemingly niche categories gained visibility and first‑time trials thanks to Double Eleven’s exposure and subsidies.

Lei Technology notes that the bottleneck for emerging smart categories is not price competition but awareness—users don’t know the use cases, usability, or value. With platform price support and brands amplifying experience scenarios, consumers can test new categories at low cost during Double Eleven, and genuine word‑of‑mouth accelerates recognition.

In effect, Double Eleven is less an “inventory‑clearing battlefield” and more a “showcase for new categories.” Its worth lies not in headline transaction records but in how many new products are seen, tried, and accepted overnight.

This dispersal of promotional intensity across the calendar is not unique to 2025. Ten years ago, 618 and Double Eleven press releases bragged about “order placed, delivered an hour later.” Now, on Taobao or JD.com’s flash‑sale pages, most items can arrive within 30 minutes—a reflection of evolving consumption rhythms.

Traditionally, e‑commerce differentiated itself by price—fewer layers, lower operating costs, lower prices. But once price competition reaches a plateau (e.g., permanent discounts), merchants must seek new differentiators between platforms. Flash sales—and the psychology of “instant gratification” behind them—have become post‑transition growth levers.

National subsidies and always‑on low prices undercut the scarcity of festival promos, and flash‑sale systems render “wait for the sale” outdated. Today’s e‑commerce resembles invisible infrastructure: prices are consistently fair, logistics are reliably online, and a tap on a phone can bring goods within an hour.

Seen through a developmental lens, the “fade‑out” of 618 and Double Eleven reflects completion of their historical mission. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s 2024 e‑commerce transaction value reached 46,409.1 billion yuan, up 3.9% year‑on‑year; online retail sales were 15,228.7 billion yuan, up 7.2%.

At these scales, platforms no longer need two concentrated promotions to prove vitality—even Double Eleven, once dubbed a “festival of impulse buying,” has shifted into a “day of essential consumption.”

Lei Technology boldly predicts that 618 and Double Eleven in 2026 may feel even less prominent than in 2025. That is not a loss of heat, but evidence of e‑commerce fully woven into daily life—when Double Eleven feels ordinary, it means online shopping has become everyone’s routine.