Lower-tier cities gaining greater prominence in e-commerce battle

Major Chinese e-commerce players are accelerating efforts to seek new growth points and further tap the consumption potential from lower-tier cities and towns through providing exclusive offers and promotions during this year's June 18 shopping carnival, said industry insiders.

JD, which initially coined the June 18 campaign, reported its sales increased 65 percent in the first hour of trading from midnight to 1 am on June 18, compared with same period last year. Up to 2 pm, its sales reached a staggering 179.5 billion yuan ($25.9 billion), exceeding 159.2 billion yuan a year ago.

Sales in the home appliances category surpassed 1 billion yuan in just two minutes and 36 seconds, while air conditioners worth more than 100 million yuan were sold in just seven seconds. Sales of refrigerators and washing machines surpassed 400 million in just two minutes, and more than 100,000 smartphones were sold in the first three minutes.