Smart living moving into mainstream use

Xu of JD.com said smart glasses are emerging as a major new engine of consumption, with sales surging tenfold year-on-year in 2025.

According to a forecast from market research company International Data Corp, 2026 is expected to be a key turning point for the mass rollout of smart glasses in China, with major shifts anticipated in product design, user interaction and service models.

As smart devices continue to gain wider adoption, consumer purchasing behavior is evolving in parallel, as interaction with artificial intelligence becomes increasingly intuitive.

Earlier in January, Alibaba's AI-powered application Qwen announced its full integration with Taobao and Alipay's AI payment system, enabling users to complete end-to-end purchases with a single voice command — from ordering food and daily essentials to booking travel gear — as these new AI shopping features roll out in public testing.

For example, when a user tells Qwen to "order a milk tea", it seamlessly connects with Taobao to find the nearest merchant and match the most relevant product, allowing the user to simply confirm the payment and wait for delivery, all without switching apps.

Wu Jia, vice-president of Alibaba Group, said that after building a powerful "brain", AI is now gaining the ability to act in the real world, taking on practical tasks and delivering tangible help to users in everyday life.

"We will continue to move forward step by step, aiming to make the Qwen app the most capable human-AI assistant and truly bring the benefits of AI to everyone," he added.

Zhu of the China Institute of New Economy noted that AI-enabled products will drive growth from both ends of the domestic consumer market — boosting mid — and high-end demand through more innovative experiences, while expanding reach to a broader customer base through ongoing technology upgrades and scaled production, creating a virtuous cycle of growth.

Policy support is also adding momentum to the rise of AI-powered consumption.

Late last year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with five other departments, released an action plan outlining key measures to better align the supply and demand of consumer goods and further stimulate consumption, with an emphasis on strengthening the integrated empowerment of artificial intelligence.

Alongside the booming domestic market for AI-powered consumer products, a growing number of companies are stepping up their expansion into overseas markets.

Rokid, the Chinese maker of AI smart glasses and extended reality devices, announced recently that it is accelerating the expansion of its global retail network, rolling out new channels across Asia and Europe to bring products such as Rokid Glasses and Rokid AI Glasses Style closer to overseas consumers.

The company said it is combining physical retail experience stores with online promotion to enhance global brand visibility while strengthening localized services in international markets.

The expansion underscores China's growing strength in the global AI hardware market. "China has built strong global competitiveness in AI-enabled smart devices, supported by a mature industrial chain that enables faster commercialization and large-scale manufacturing," Zhu said.

Zhang Chenxu and Yin Mingyue contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at zhangchenxu@chinadaily.com.cn.