e-commerce

Star Power: China’s Businesses Count Cost of Fake Reviews

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

Business owners and employees expose the physical and mental pressures of chasing ratings on China’s review platforms.

Liang Ting

Factory Reset: A New Generation Races to Save China’s Family Businesses

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

Across China, family-run factories are passing to a new generation on an unprecedented scale. Can they overcome e-commerce challenges, rising costs, and family pressures to reshape their businesses for the future?

He Qitong

Gold Testers: How a Fake Review App Hacked China’s Shopping Platforms

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

The app influenced China’s top e-commerce platforms on a staggering scale, recruiting hundreds of thousands of gig workers to post billions of fake reviews.

Fan Yiying

How Free Shipping Became China’s Most Important Status Symbol

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

Residents along China’s prosperous coast don’t just enjoy better deals on packages — they get better customer service, too.

Qian Linliang

What’s Chinese for ‘Midwest Nice’?

Not everyone likes to be called “qin” — roughly equivalent to “dear” in English — so why do some online businesses insist on using it anyway?

For Alibaba, This Year’s ‘Singles’ Day’ Is a Brutal Dogfight

As it gears up for its flagship shopping festival, the Chinese e-commerce giant is fighting a desperate battle to defend its market share.

China’s Livestream Industry Has a Fraud Problem

Livestreamers are routinely faking sales data and selling counterfeit products to boost their profits, a new investigation claims.

Taobao Plans to (Finally) Allow Users to Pay Via WeChat Pay

The move is the latest signal that the era of “walled gardens” in China’s tech ecosystem is drawing to a close.

Ding Rui

How AI Hosts Flooded China’s Livestream Platforms

The bots are cheap, obedient, and never need to take a break from hawking goods. But do customers actually like them?

Dong Ziqing

China Confronts an Insidious New Privacy Risk: Lifelike Silicone Masks

In China, it is now possible to buy masks so lifelike that they can be used to fool facial recognition scanners. And criminals already appear to be using them.

Li Xin

Why China’s Small Merchants Are Checking Out of Mega Shopping Fests

Frustrated by high return rates and dwindling profits, small merchants are questioning the long-term viability of discount-driven shopping festivals. Some are even opting out and returning to more traditional business models.

Ye Zhanhang

In Sichuan, Influencers Jailed for Exploiting Rural Hardship

An investigation by local police revealed that the influencers, working with an agency, used fabricated tales of rural China to sell agricultural goods on e-commerce platforms.

On E-commerce Platforms, Young Chinese Turn Savings Into Sport

In an effort to spend more wisely, young shoppers are scouring for the best possible deals. Social media tips and tags, and e-commerce algorithms are playing key roles in their search.

Yang Caini

Lin Pingxiu

Taobao, JD.com to Allow Refunds Without Returns  

The two e-commerce giants are moving closer to adopting the controversial refund policies of rival Pinduoduo, which has seen ballooning sales due to its low prices and “customer first” approach.

Netizens Unite Behind Influencers Running Up Against ‘The Man’

Even the most accomplished workers have to deal with overbearing bosses and unfair treatment, Chinese netizens are realizing.

Zhu Junxi

Has the ‘Double Eleven’ Shopping Festival Lost its Luster?

The annual online shopping festival has continued to falter as an overabundance of sales seasons and opaque pricing strategies cause fatigue among consumers.

Shanghai Observer

E-Commerce Giants Target a New Singles’ Day Market: China’s Elderly

Amid China’s biggest shopping festival, data shows a surge in senior consumption across online platforms, particularly of products like electric wheelchairs and hearing aids.

To Grow Wealth, China’s Gen Z is Buying Gold — One Bean at a Time

Buying gold was largely associated with older generations in China, but data now indicates that over half of gold consumers belong to the post-’90s age group. For many, it’s the most viable long-term investment.

China’s TikTok Bans Rapid Livestream Selling 

In stark contrast to the typically long-winded product explanations on China’s e-commerce livestreams, the “rapid introductions” of products with little explanation has been a surprise hit among consumers.

Chinese State Media Slams ‘Hot Kids Style’ in Children’s Fashion

The trend, which promotes microskirts, backless shirts, and crop tops among young children, has sparked concerns about the sexualization of minors.