Analysis
BEIJING – As the 2026 Chinese Spring Festival approaches, artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping holiday consumption through predictive services, seamless transactions and personalized experiences, fueling a fresh wave of economic vigor.
On Feb. 2, Alibaba’s Qwen App launched a 3-billion-yuan “Spring Festival Treat Plan,” partnering with several other apps including Taobao Flash Shopping, Freshippo and Tmall to offer cash rewards and free purchase opportunities.
This initiative aims to cultivate user reliance on AI for daily requirements, eliminating the need for app-switching and providing one-stop services, according to Zheng Sishou, a product owner of Qwen App.
“Qianwen App aims to foster the habit of users turning to AI for assistance through substantial financial investment,” said Zheng.
Competitors like Tencent and Baidu have joined the trend. Tencent’s Yuanbao App is distributing 1 billion yuan in red envelopes, while Baidu’s Ernie Bot offers 500 million yuan in rewards until March 12.
These campaigns highlight a strategic push to capture user traffic and tap into spending potential, industry experts say.
“With the support of AI technology, platforms and products have become more attuned to consumers,” said Xu Fei, director of the research center at Taobao and Tmall Group.
“Platforms are evolving from ‘guess what you like’ to ‘understand what you need,’ thus shifting the starting point of consumption from a user’s list of demands to life scenarios identified by AI,” Xu noted.
Beyond promotions, AI is proactively identifying consumer needs. For example, air conditioner apps remind users to replace filters based on electricity usage and air quality data, while food-tracking apps estimate nutritional content and recommend low-calorie meals. Also, travel platforms suggest resort routes with tailored pit-stop services.
AI not only delves into consumer demand but also assists in consumption decision-making.
Recent collaborations between Xiaomi and Ant Group have enabled AI glasses to process parking payments via a glance or voice command. Earlier, JD.com partnered with AI-powered smart glasses provider Rokid to integrate shopping functions into smart glasses.
“Technological innovation is driving new consumer demand, with AI-related household appliances and 3C products emerging as new consumer highlights,” said JD.com CEO Xu Ran.
AI-driven gadgets are becoming consumption highlights, as reflected by smart product sales on JD.com surging by over 200 percent year on year in 2025, according to Xu.
Meanwhile, concurrent requests for AI livestreaming, coupon pushes and consultations are testing response speeds, underscoring the need for robust computing power.
“To support peak demand during the Spring Festival, Alibaba Cloud has allocated elastic computing resources to ensure Qwen’s stability amid potential traffic spikes,” said Deng Conglin, who is with Alibaba Cloud.
China needs to continuously strengthen AI computing power infrastructure, reduce business operating costs and enhance consumer experience, experts have said.
China’s “AI+” action plan, released by the State Council in August 2025, emphasizes upgrading consumption through intelligent terminals and ecosystems.
The action plan aims to promote comprehensive intelligent interconnection of smart terminals, foster an ecosystem of intelligent products, and vigorously develop next-generation smart terminals, including intelligent connected vehicles, AI smartphones and computers, intelligent robots, smart home devices and wearable technology.
This initiative seeks to create an integrated, full-scenario intelligent interaction environment.
The year 2026 is expected to be a pivotal year for the widespread adoption of AI consumer devices, an outlook report released by China International Capital Corporation Limited has noted.
– Xinhua
