Alibaba’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, beginning on November 11, is generating excitement with its pre-launch preparations. Here are 11 key things shoppers should be aware of:

AI-Powered Multilingual Tools

To enhance the shopping experience for global customers, Alibaba has introduced an AI translation tool designed to bridge language gaps between buyers and sellers.

This online chat tool, recently launched on Lazada, enables real-time translation between English and Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian.

AliExpress, Alibaba’s international online retail platform, also provides an AI translation tool that connects English speakers with those who speak Chinese, Russian, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Turkish.

AI Chatbot

During the festival, over 800,000 merchants on Taobao and Tmall will utilize Dian Xiaomi, an AI-powered customer service chatbot, to address customer inquiries.

AI Video Editing

Alibaba Wood, an AI video editing tool for brands, will be accessible to select merchants during the festival. This tool allows brands to create short product videos.

By extracting text and images from product pages, it can generate a 20-second promotional video. Visuals are synchronized with music, chosen by an algorithm that considers human emotions to maximize shopper engagement. This tool is anticipated to reduce promotional costs for smaller merchants.

China’s Largest Smart Warehouse

Robots at the Cainiao smart robot warehouse.

Cainiao, Alibaba’s logistics arm, has inaugurated China’s largest smart robot warehouse in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. Cainiao’s network spans 30 million square meters of warehousing globally, with over 3 million logistics personnel.

This new warehouse, situated in Cainiao’s first IoT Future Park in Wuxi, is equipped with 700 automated guided vehicles (AGVs). The warehouse’s Internet of Things (IoT) technology enables autonomous AGV movement, loading, and unloading.

The system optimizes AGV routes to prevent collisions and efficiently distribute parcels. This results in a 50% increase in order fulfillment capacity compared to traditional warehouses.

Discounts for 88 VIP Members

Alibaba 88 VIP members will receive a 5% discount on purchases from 388 brands on Taobao and Tmall, in addition to other 11.11 special offers.

This 5% discount complements existing 88 VIP benefits, which include a 5% discount on Tmall Supermarket and 88 brands. Membership also grants access to various Alibaba platforms such as Youku, Xiami, Ele.me, and Taopiaopiao.

Countdown Gala

This year’s gala, taking place on November 10 at Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Arena, will feature international stars like Coco Lee, Miranda Kerr, Kinjaza, and Cirque du Soleil. The event will be broadcasted live on Zhejiang TV and Shanghai TV.

Special Offers from Ele.me

Leading up to 11.11, Ele.me has partnered with various dining establishments like McDonald’s, KFC, Starbucks, Wu Fang Zhai, and Haidilao to offer promotions. Customers can enjoy discounts like half-price deals or offers as low as RMB1. This marks the on-demand delivery and local service platform’s first 11.11 participation.

Furthermore, Ele.me users can order groceries, fruits, flowers, pastries, and medications, with promotional offers from brands such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Hershey, Budweiser, and Nestle, starting from RMB0.01, RMB0.99, and RMB3.

Oranges from Rural Taobao

Source: Alibaba. Rural Taobao will share oranges from its
farm of the future with consumers.

Rural Taobao will offer consumers oranges from its “future farm” for the first time. Located in a rural Hubei province county, this farm employs Alibaba’s technologies to modernize traditional farming practices. The farm incorporates irrigation systems, weather sensors, and drones.

An electronic map provides real-time crop growth updates and details on agricultural activities. The farm projects a harvest of 1.5 million kilograms of oranges leading up to 11.11, and shoppers can find information about Rural Taobao’s products on the Taobao app.

Global Fun @ Fliggy

Fliggy offers promotions from major airlines, hotels, and travel reward programs. Customers benefit from a unified membership, unlocking rewards, exclusive services, and discounts.

Marriott International introduces the W Hotel New Year Pass on Fliggy, granting access to New Year’s Eve parties at seven W Hotels across Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi’an. It will also feature a package deal for 24 nights at JW Marriott hotels worldwide.

Tmall World Brings Promotions Overseas

Tmall World, connecting overseas Chinese consumers through Mobile Taobao and Taobao Lite, offers special deals and promotions:

• Free shipping on over 4,000 products to regions including Hong Kong, Taiwan, the US, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia.
• Taobao and Tmall users can participate in a referral program, earning shopping vouchers and potential prizes up to RMB100,000 by referring friends to download and use Taobao Lite.
• Taobao and Tmall are collaborating with NomadX, Singapore’s “phygital” store, for a special showcase leading up to the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival.
• Around 2,000 merchant partners utilize local warehouses to facilitate efficient return services.

Red Packet Rain

Shopping malls in major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing, Suzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xi’an, and Chongqing, will be showering shoppers with virtual red packets.

By shaking their phones, consumers can collect these red packets, which contain special promotional coupons redeemable at online and offline stores during 11.11.