Latest news with #618Festival
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple's China iPhone Sales Finally Turn Positive
You know how Apple's been wrestling with flat iPhone (NASDAQ:AAPL) sales in China for the past couple of years? Well, that streak finally ended in Q2 2025, with Counterpoint Research reporting an 8% year-over-year bump. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Sign with VWAGY. The real catalyst? Apple's well-timed price cuts in Mayright before China's massive 618 shopping festivaland strong demand for the new iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. Interestingly, while the overall 618 festival volumes didn't budge much compared to last year, most of the growth happened in May. That's when three of Apple's iPhone models stormed into the top half of the bestseller charts. No wonder Apple shares popped over 2% early Thursdaythey've been down about 15% so far this year amid tariff threats and stiff competition. Speaking of rivals, Huawei isn't sitting idle. Counterpoint expects Huawei to overtake everyone in Q2, fueled by loyal customers swapping out older devices for its latest handsets. In other words, Apple's rebound is a big win, but the battlefield in China is more intense than ever. Bottom line: Apple showed it still knows how to play the premium handclever pricing, flagship models and perfect timing can move the needle, even in a market that's been stubbornly flat. Now the real test is whether this momentum sticks once the glow of 618 fades and Huawei fires back with its next launch. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple's China iPhone Sales Finally Turn Positive
You know how Apple's been wrestling with flat iPhone (NASDAQ:AAPL) sales in China for the past couple of years? Well, that streak finally ended in Q2 2025, with Counterpoint Research reporting an 8% year-over-year bump. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Sign with VWAGY. The real catalyst? Apple's well-timed price cuts in Mayright before China's massive 618 shopping festivaland strong demand for the new iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. Interestingly, while the overall 618 festival volumes didn't budge much compared to last year, most of the growth happened in May. That's when three of Apple's iPhone models stormed into the top half of the bestseller charts. No wonder Apple shares popped over 2% early Thursdaythey've been down about 15% so far this year amid tariff threats and stiff competition. Speaking of rivals, Huawei isn't sitting idle. Counterpoint expects Huawei to overtake everyone in Q2, fueled by loyal customers swapping out older devices for its latest handsets. In other words, Apple's rebound is a big win, but the battlefield in China is more intense than ever. Bottom line: Apple showed it still knows how to play the premium handclever pricing, flagship models and perfect timing can move the needle, even in a market that's been stubbornly flat. Now the real test is whether this momentum sticks once the glow of 618 fades and Huawei fires back with its next launch. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
GSM Arena
04-07-2025
- Business
- GSM Arena
Counterpoint: Huawei and Apple lead China's Q2 smartphone shipments
The Chinese smartphone market saw negligible growth during the April–June months with a mere 1% increase in total shipments compared to the same period last year. According to the latest Counterpoint Research report, Huawei and Apple are expected to lead all companies in terms of year-over-year growth. Counterpoint Research China Smartphone Weekly Sales Tracker Huawei is expected to lead all brands with 12% growth in shipments. The figure is mainly attributed to strong demand for its devices during the annual 618 shopping festival as well as the ongoing government subsidy program. The national subsidy program covers smartphones, tablets, smart bands, and smartwatches priced below CNY 6,000 ($820) and offers a one-time discount of up to CNY 500 ($68). The one underlying issue is that the program could be scaled back in the second half of the year. Apple is the only other top-five brand that's expected to see positive shipments for the Q2 period, with an estimated 8% growth. Apple saw increased demand for its iPhone 16 series in May thanks to discounts just ahead of China's 618 shopping festival. Source
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China Insight: What the 618 Shopping Festival Says About China's Retail Landscape
The June 18 Shopping Festival — once a high-decibel race for Gross Merchandise Volume — took a markedly different tone this year, reflecting deep shifts in China's fashion retail landscape. Underneath the transactional data, three key themes emerged: a pivot to quality-driven growth, the rapid rise of on-demand retail, and the emotional economy's increasing grip on consumer behavior. The numbers were strong — but more nuanced. Tmall reported 453 brands surpassing 100 million renminbi, or about $14 million, in transaction volume, a 24 percent year-over-year increase. doubled its user order volume from 2024, led by surging sales in apparel, beauty and daily essentials. Douyin's e-commerce arm saw more than 60,000 brands double their GMV, with 236 surpassing the 100 million renminbi mark via livestreaming. More from WWD MAC Cosmetics Debuts 'Musical Spaceship' Concept For Nanjing Flagship A Stream of Ceramics: How a Quiet Chinese Factory Town Became a Cultural Tourism Hub Me+Em to Open in Manchester Following Successful Retail Streak Even platforms traditionally outside the commerce core saw major growth: Rednote's livestream orders rose 9.4 times year-over-year, and Bilibili, capitalizing on its Gen Z community, posted a 146 percent increase in live-commerce GMV. WeChat Channels made a splash with a debut livestream starring Christy Chung, racking up over 10 million views and more than 7 million renminbi, or about $1 million, in sales. The Rednote + Tmall sales hints were centered around the 'trust' economy. Beneath the headlines, the landscape is changing. This year's 618 was no longer just about deals and delivery — it became a mirror for a broader redefinition of value and experience in the consumer mindset. Here, a look at some of the key trends emerging from the latest 618 Festival., 1. State-Led Consumption Upgrades Point to Quality-First Growth State-backed incentives played a decisive role in 618's success, shifting the focus from volume to value. Strategic subsidies, especially in categories like smart home and green tech, enabled consumers to trade up. High-ticket items such as AI-powered robotic vacuum cleaners saw renewed interest, with government-backed discounts helping bridge the price gap for quality consumption. This alignment of government policy, consumer demand, and platform strategy created a new model for 'tripartite synergy,' accelerating premiumization across categories. 2. On-Demand Retail Becomes a Growth Catalyst Real-time retail proved to be one of the strongest growth stories of the year. Apple saw record daily sales on Taobao Instant Retail, and brands like Decathlon leveraged Meituan's infrastructure to deliver running gear within 30 minutes — resulting in a 220 percent spike in same-day orders. Fashion labels such as Only and Jack & Jones embraced the 'online order + store direct delivery' model, slashing turnaround times to under 72 hours. Meanwhile, companies like PurCotton upgraded their logistics networks to meet localized, rapid fulfillment — achieving a 90 percent success rate within an 8-kilometer radius. Beyond convenience, on-demand retail is redefining fashion's supply chain — ushering in a new era of fragmented, hyperresponsive consumption. 3. The Emotional Economy Reshapes Fashion's Value Proposition If quality and speed are two legs of the new retail triangle, emotion is the third. The emotional economy powered breakout moments during 618 — from reed diffuser brand ToSummer topping its category with sensory-driven branding, to Atour Hotel's sleep-enhancing product line nearing core business revenue. In beauty, Proya crossed the 100 million renminbi sales threshold within 10 minutes of launch. Its antiaging portfolio, aligned with prevailing consumer anxieties and aspirations, positioned it as a top performer once again. Chinese consumers are increasingly seeking emotional resonance over logos — valuing lifestyle alignment, storytelling and psychological uplift. This shift was reflected in brand preference data: 70 percent of top 100 brands were domestic, while more than 60 percent of Tmall's 100 million renminbi club comprised Chinese names. 4. A Glimpse Into the Next Chapter The 618 Festival revealed more than just short-term sales surges — it signaled the emergence of new rules shaping China's retail future. State stimulus, on-demand infrastructure, affective consumption, and homegrown innovation are reshaping consumer expectations and fashion's business logic. For global and local players alike, the message is clear: competing in China now means playing by a different rulebook — one that values connection over conversion, responsiveness over repetition, and trust over transaction. Editor's Note: China Insight is a monthly column from WWD's sister publication WWD China on trends in that all-important market. Best of WWD The Definitive Timeline for Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Sean John Fashion Brand: Lawsuits, Runway Shows and Who Owns It Now What the Highest-paid CEOs at U.S. Fashion and Retail Companies Make Confidence Holds Up, But How Much Can Consumers Take?
Wall Street Journal
20-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
China's Midyear Shopping Festival Pulls In Record Online Sales
China's second-largest shopping event of the year generated record sales, with online spending by consumers exceeding $100 billion as government measures bolstered consumption among cautious households. The value of goods sold by Chinese e-commerce platforms reached an all-time high during the '618' shopping festival that took place from mid-May to mid-June this year, according to figures from data provider Syntun.
