Workers sort parcels at an express delivery company in Yangzhou, East China"s Jiangsu Province, on November 11, 2025. China"s Double 11 shopping festival is hitting its peak, with major domestic e-commerce platforms and courier firms seeing a surge in cross-border parcel shipments. Photo: VCG

　　China"s "Double 11" shopping festival, which celebrates its 18th edition this year, unfolds with a longer pre-sales window, deeper discount combinations and more aggressive subsidy stacking. According to industry observers on Monday, the annual sales event remains an important gauge of consumer confidence as the country works to sustain domestic demand in the second half of the year.

　　Chinese e-commerce platforms from Alibaba"s Tmall and Taobao to JD.com and short-video platform Douyin have launched preliminary activities featuring cash coupons, limited-time subsidies, pre-orders with locked-in prices and "national subsidy" programs for eligible products. The promotions are designed to stimulate spending ahead of the main sales peak around November 11.

　　JD.com kicked off its "Double 11" spot sale on Monday, emphasizing immediate discounts and "buy now, ship now" deals, particularly for home appliances and digital devices. Tmall will begin accepting pre-orders on Thursday, allowing consumers to pay deposits to lock in discounts and gifts before making final payments on October 20. Douyin has joined the early push through livestream subsidies and platform-wide coupons.

　　This year"s shopping bonanza is expected to run until November 11 or thereabouts, with promotional intensity peaking between the evening of November 10 and 11.