Double 11 meets AI: How brands can leverage the trend to boost long-term sales

Every year at this time, we often see global retail brands offering mega flash sales or special discounts on specific platforms or their online shopping sites, to celebrate Double 11, one of China's biggest shopping festivals that was initially created for singles. 

As time went by, along with the emergence of digital technologies, more brands across the globe, including those in the APAC region, are investing more in artificial intelligence (AI) to create more personalised experiences through digital campaigns.

For example, in Hong Kong, retailer Mannings has launched a Double 11 campaign for its online store that leverages AI technology. The campaign features AI-generated visuals and content, optimising advertising strategies and personalising the online shopping journey through AI-recommended products and targeted content.

In China, Alibaba Group’s two eCommerce platforms, Taobao and Tmall, have debuted 10 free AI-powered features for merchants as well as a generative AI chatbot named Wenwen (問問) to answer users’ queries this Singles' Day. Although it is not the first large language model created by Alibaba, Wenwen is the first AI application made specifically for the eCommerce industry. 

The new Double 11 trend in the advertising world

Personalisation is going to be the way forward and new AI tools such as Wenwen are making this a lot easier for consumers to get custom recommendations based on what they’re looking for, Kelvin Lee, marketing director, APAC, Assembly told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

“On the flip side, merchants that incorporate AI into their strategy will be able to have a deeper understanding of audience behaviours, enabling them to develop more relevant strategies that appeal to the consumer’s needs,” he added. 

Personalisation also plays a crucial role in advertising strategies for Singles' Day to increase conversion rates, according to Carmen Wu from Havas Market.

“Brands should leverage first-hand customer data and AI algorithms to tailor exclusive product bundles, create diversified content, and offer attractive promotions that resonate with individual consumers or boost the opportunity for cross-selling or upselling,” Wu said.

AI models are being used more than just tools, they're helping with strategic decisions on major platforms, said Ashley Dudarenok, founder of ChoZan. “Large-scale AI models can help retailers quickly move through processes like decision-making, launching, and creating. This can lead to growth by making business strategies more targeted,” she added.

An effective marketing strategy to boost long-term sales?

The 2023 Singles’ Day sale remains the biggest shopping event of the year, according to the latest Singles’ Day report
from AlixPartners, a global consulting firm. As consumer sentiment is picking back up, nearly half of respondents said they are likely to spend more this year compared to last year, and 62% said they will spend at least 3,000 yuan this year, up 11 percentage points from 2022.

Products should be front and centre in marketing as increasingly sophisticated shoppers consider authenticity and trustworthiness (83%), functionality and durability (82%), materials and quality (80%), and safety and traceability (80%) as top priorities when selecting products, said the report.

With the rise of rational consumption, it is crucial for brands to be intentional and targeted in order to generate the greatest returns this Singles’ Day.

Suki Lin, regional director, Asia-Pacific, Nativex, said that with accurate targeting of ads, AI can help streamline the advertising process by automating manual tasks and making accurate ad recommendations, offering businesses a more efficient and cost-effective means to achieve these results.

Creating relevant local content that will resonate with audiences of different markets is also key. Lin said that while content localisation often comes with a myriad of challenges such as languages, AI-powered tools allow brands to transcend language barriers in just a few hours. 

“Content can easily and accurately be translated and localised from one language to another, and we can also ensure that nuances of the languages are captured sufficiently,” Lin added.

Furthermore, adopting AI features can help merchants deliver the low prices expected by shoppers during the promotional season, according to Xiaofeng Wang, principal analyst, Forrester.

On the other hand, the impact of AI is limited to how integrated the technology is to the brands’ overall audience strategy, said Assembly's Lee. “Utilising generative AI to create unique product experience for consumers, for example, creating visuals of consumers using or wearing the product, will be more likely to boost sales,” he said. 

“Starting with a clear brand strategy will help determine more effective uses of AI to nurture in-depth audience relationships and deliver greater value for the consumer,” he added.

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