电商早报：爱奇艺一季度总收入62.3亿元；于东来呼吁不要过度神话胖东来

This article is a morning briefing compiling the latest updates from China's e-commerce, technology and internet industries. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. On macro industry data: China's express delivery industry saw stable operation in April 2026, with its development index rising 0.3% year-on-year. From January to April, China's online retail sales of goods and services reached 6.5308 trillion yuan, up 6.6% year-on-year. Online retail of food products recorded the fastest growth at 15.6%, indicating overall steady growth in China's consumption.

2. For consumers: Multiple SKUs of Kweichow Moutai, including 500ml 30-year aged Moutai and 200ml Feitian Moutai, will be available for purchase on the iMoutai app starting 8:09 PM on May 19. Users looking to buy can join the flash sale at the scheduled time.

3. On industry hot topics: Yu Donglai, founder of popular Chinese retail chain PuduDonglai, publicly responded to online comparative commentary, calling on the public not to over-glorify the brand. He admitted PuduDonglai lags behind global retail giants in merchandise operation and other areas, and only holds an advantage in employee care. Meanwhile, multiple technology companies have launched new AI products, with several new features already rolled out to the market.

This article shares industry data, operational insights and opportunities for brand owners. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. On consumption trends: Latest data shows online service retail grew 8.3% year-on-year from January to April, while online food product retail rose 15.6% — far outpacing the 6.8% growth for apparel and 2.6% for other consumer goods. This indicates considerable room for growth in service consumption and food categories, and brands can adjust their R&D and market layout strategies accordingly.

2. On channel development: The launch of multiple Moutai SKUs on Moutai's self-operated iMoutai platform shows that official self-operated apps remain an important incremental channel for premium brands. Brands can learn from this example to build their own direct-to-consumer channels and take control of user relationships and pricing.

3. On brand operations: Yu Donglai's open and honest admission of PuduDonglai's gaps amid public comparison offers a new reference for brands handling public discourse. Separately, cross-border e-commerce platform Shopee has upgraded its advertising system to help brands measure campaign performance more accurately. Brands operating cross-border business should follow the rule updates and adjust their advertising strategies.

This article summarizes opportunities, rule changes and risk alerts relevant to e-commerce sellers. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. On market opportunities: Latest macro data shows overall online retail grew 6.6% year-on-year from January to April, with food products up 15.6% and online services up 8.3%. This means the food category and service consumption still offer strong growth dividends, and sellers can prioritize layout in these areas. Meanwhile, the stable performance of China's express delivery industry in April improved fulfillment capacity, laying a solid foundation for e-commerce operations.

2. On cross-border rule changes: Shopee will upgrade its advertising system for cross-border stores starting June 1, 2026, adding a 1-day view attribution metric to track traffic from ad views. This update helps sellers measure overall ad performance more accurately and optimize spending. Sellers should familiarize themselves with the new rules in advance, adjust their ad strategies, and capture new traffic opportunities.

3. On compliance: Meituan has launched a government-enterprise co-governance platform for food safety. Sellers that maintain good daily food safety management can reduce compliance risks and avoid penalties.

This article shares demand shifts, business opportunities and upgrading directions for manufacturing factories. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. On production demand: Latest retail data shows online food product sales grew 15.6% year-on-year from January to April, far outpacing growth for apparel and other consumer goods. This indicates strong rising market demand for food products, so food and fast-moving consumer goods manufacturers can increase R&D and capacity investment in relevant categories to capture growth dividends.

2. On business opportunities: Premium liquor brands continue to expand their direct-to-consumer online channels amid stable market demand. Packaging and supporting supply chain factories can target business development with premium brands to secure stable orders.

3. Insights for digital upgrading: Multiple technology companies have recently launched commercial-ready new AI products, including commercially available humanoid robots and deployable AI assistant features. AI technology has now entered the phase of commercial落地. Factories can pay attention to how AI can empower production and design processes, and proactively推进 digital and intelligent upgrading to improve production efficiency.

This article shares the latest industry development trends and customer demands for various service providers. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. On industry development trends: AI has now entered a rapid phase of commercial落地, with major tech companies rolling out market-ready AI functions ranging from persistent memory for AI assistants, AI-generated podcasts and AI writing assistants, to mass-produced commercially available humanoid robots. The commercial space for AI continues to expand. B2B service providers can develop enterprise-focused solutions built around AI capabilities to capture industry growth dividends.

2. Solution reference: Meituan has launched China's first government-enterprise co-governance platform for food safety, which solves the pain point of asymmetric food safety information between regulators and platforms, and enables real-time collaborative governance through integrated multi-source data. This model offers a reference for government enterprise service providers and food safety technology service providers, and can be replicated and scaled to more regions and sectors.

3. On customer demand: Cross-border sellers have growing demand for accurate measurement of advertising performance. Cross-border operation agencies and advertising service providers can learn Shopee's new advertising rules in advance to provide more professional optimization services for their clients.

This article shares the latest operational practices and industry demands for e-commerce platform operators. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. On merchant demands: Merchants now have increasing demand for accurate measurement of advertising performance. Shopee upgraded its advertising system for cross-border sellers by adding 1-day view attribution, to meet merchants' need for comprehensive evaluation of ad value. Other e-commerce platforms can reference this approach to optimize their own advertising tools, provide more comprehensive and accurate data for merchants, and improve merchant satisfaction.

2. On compliance operations: Meituan launched China's first government-enterprise co-governance platform for food safety, enabling real-time food safety data sharing with more than 70 regulatory authorities across the country. This meets regulatory requirements for food safety governance, while also improving food safety management among platform merchants, providing a replicable model for compliance operations for local life service platforms.

3. On product upgrading direction: User demand for AI functions continues to grow, and leading companies are scaling up their AI layout. Platforms can introduce AI content generation, smart assistants and other relevant functions to improve user experience and narrow the gap with competitors.

This article summarizes the latest developments across multiple industrial sectors for industry researchers. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. On the e-commerce retail industry: Latest macro data shows China's national online retail sales grew 6.6% year-on-year from January to April 2026. In terms of structure, food products posted the fastest growth, and service retail outpaced goods retail, reflecting a new trend of consumption upgrading in China. The express delivery industry's development index saw a minor increase amid stable operation in April, indicating the industry has entered a phase of steady growth, and new growth spaces in the sector are worth further research.

2. On the AI industry: Multiple domestic and international technology companies have recently推进 AI commercial落地. Elon Musk's xAI launched Grok Skills, which enables persistent memory across conversations; Amazon added AI on-demand podcast generation to Alexa+; Apple will integrate AI writing tools into its new operating system; and Chinese companies have launched flagship humanoid robots for global sale. These developments mark that the AI industry has moved from the technology R&D phase to a new phase of commercial落地, with clear business models and market opportunities.

3. On the development of local Chinese retail: PuduDonglai founder Yu Donglai's open admission of the gap between his company and global retail giants provides a typical case for research on brand building and development paths for local Chinese retail enterprises.