Inside DMES 2025: How China’s Marketers Are Reinventing Strategy in a Shifting Economy
In March 2025, Shanghai played host to one of Asia’s most important marketing gatherings: the 15th China Digital Marketing and E-commerce Innovation Summit (DMES 2025). As brands across China and the globe grapple with a slowing economy, rising competition, and increasingly discerning consumers, this year’s summit felt less like a networking opportunity and more like a battle plan.
Organized by ECV International, DMES 2025 drew over 400 senior-level attendees across sectors like retail, FMCG, tech, fashion, beauty, automotive, and finance. Their mission was clear: figure out what marketing needs to look like next.
The summit opened with a sober look at the macro environment. China’s post-pandemic recovery has cooled, and many brands — both domestic and international — are navigating tighter budgets, cautious consumers, and saturated digital channels. The consensus? Playing it safe is no longer safe.
Instead of cutting costs blindly, many keynote speakers advocated for smarter investment in digital infrastructure, AI-powered tools, and channel diversification. The overarching theme was one of strategic clarity: doubling down on what truly drives customer value, not just chasing trends.
Zhao Wei, Head of Marketing at a leading Chinese skincare brand, put it bluntly:
“It’s no longer about who can spend more. It’s about who can connect better, faster, and smarter.”
Artificial intelligence was the dominant theme across every panel. While buzzwords like “personalization” and “automation” have circled for years, DMES 2025 marked a shift from theory to practice. Chinese companies are now deploying AI at scale — not as a novelty, but as a foundation.
Case in point: Alibaba and JD.com presented how they are using generative AI to write product descriptions, generate promotional images, and even create real-time chatbot campaigns for major sales events. These tools allow brands to customize communication down to the individual user — at scale.
But the most impressive use case came from NetEase Kaola, a cross-border e-commerce platform. They demonstrated an AI-powered shopping assistant that can “interview” users via voice or text and make curated product recommendations based on mood, skin condition, location, and even upcoming holidays.
This shift is more than technological. It’s philosophical. Brands are moving from one-size-fits-all advertising to responsive brand ecosystems — where content, recommendations, and promotions shift dynamically based on user data.
China has long been a world leader in blending online and offline retail — from scanning QR codes in stores to livestream commerce. But this year, omni-channel went deeper.
Meituan, a lifestyle services platform, discussed how they now synchronize in-app coupons with foot traffic data, allowing restaurants to push hyper-targeted offers to potential customers walking nearby — in real time. Meanwhile, L’Oréal China showcased its “Phygital Beauty” experience, where customers can scan products in-store to access AR filters, tutorials, and reviews right on their phones.
But perhaps the most eye-opening insight came from Nike China, which launched a mini-program within WeChat that integrates inventory, delivery, loyalty, and customer service. The result? A closed-loop experience where a customer can scan a shoe in-store, buy it online, get delivery in under two hours, and receive follow-up care content — all without leaving WeChat.
The message was clear: Integration is the new innovation.
Another fascinating shift discussed at the summit was the evolving role of influencers. The golden age of mega-KOLs (key opinion leaders) is fading. Consumers are burnt out on celebrity endorsements and want authenticity and relatability.
Enter the rise of KOCs — key opinion consumers — and AI-generated brand ambassadors.
Several startups at DMES 2025 showcased platforms that allow brands to recruit hundreds of micro-influencers (KOCs) at once, track performance in real time, and deploy content with faster approval workflows. This model favors volume, niche appeal, and rapid iteration over big-budget campaigns.
In parallel, Chinese tech firms like Xmov are rolling out AI avatars — photorealistic digital humans that can host livestreams, answer questions, and serve as 24/7 virtual spokespeople. One AI host from the beauty brand Perfect Diary reportedly doubled engagement compared to human influencers — with zero risk of scandal.
In one of the summit’s most practical sessions, a panel of CMOs discussed how their KPIs have shifted. Likes, shares, and impressions are taking a back seat to conversions, lifetime value, and retention.
Brands are investing more in first-party data, segment-based testing, and marketing mix modeling. With China’s new data privacy laws in effect, companies are increasingly focused on building direct customer relationships — through owned channels like apps, CRM, and loyalty programs.
Wang Lei, Head of Digital at a leading automotive brand, summed it up:
“We no longer ask, ‘Did it go viral?’ We ask, ‘Did it move the customer closer to a decision?’”