Let's uncover the origin and evolution of the 618 Shopping Festival before we dive into how you can take advantage of it this year.
 

It All Started With a Birthday

The 618 Shopping Festival began as a way for JD.com, a major online shopping company in China, to celebrate its anniversary. JD.com was founded on June 18, 1998, and in 2004, they held their first shopping event on that date. The company gave out special offers and discounts to attract customers.

What was meant to be a simple, one-day birthday sale became very successful, so JD.com continued doing it every year. Eventually, the event became one of the biggest online shopping festivals in China, with more sellers and buyers joining in each time.

The E-Commerce War: JD vs. Alibaba

When JD.com's 618 sale became successful, its biggest rival, Alibaba (which owns Tmall and Taobao) noticed the attention it was getting. To compete, Alibaba also started joining the 618 sale season with their own deals and discounts.

This started a kind of "e-commerce battle" between the two giants, each trying to attract more shoppers. As a result, the 618 event became even bigger every year.

Because of this competition:

• Flash sales, special discount vouchers, and influencer livestreams became common.

• Now, promotions start earlier, sometimes weeks before June 18.

• Other platforms like Pinduoduo, TikTok Shop, Shopee, and Lazada also joined in, spreading the 618 shopping festival outside of China, including Southeast Asia.
   

Why 618 Became So Popular

The 618 Shopping Festival became popular for a few key reasons:

• Perfect Timing: It happens right between Chinese New Year and Singles' Day (11.11), so it's the ideal time for mid-year shopping.

• Big Discounts: Many brands use 618 to clear old stock and launch new products with lower prices, which attracts a lot of buyers.

• Customer Excitement: Shoppers now expect big sales every June, just like how people in the West look forward to Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Because of these reasons, 618 has grown into one of the biggest online sales events globally, especially in Asia-Pacific countries.

Ride the 618 Wave with BigSeller

The 618 Shopping Festival has grown into one of the most powerful e-commerce moments in Asia. Brands prepare for weeks, buyers hold off purchases to wait for deals, and the competition is fiercer than ever. For online sellers, this moment is too big to ignore. But showing up without the right system? That's a missed opportunity.

BigSeller makes this moment count. With tools built specifically for sellers juggling multiple marketplaces, you can speed up order processing, avoid overselling, sync product info, and stay updated, all without chaos.

This 618 , new users enjoy 5% off , and VIPs get 10% off , with added value through free Duoke access to help with your product sourcing and profit margins.

Even better? You can stack your purchases, buy more, save more, and extend your subscription for future growth. No hidden fees. No complicated setup. Just a powerful platform trusted by over 930,000+ sellers across Southeast Asia .

Don't miss this limited-time offer: June 18, 2025, from 00:00 to 23:59 (GMT+8) .
 

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