Alibaba’s Tmall platform experienced a remarkable 239% increase in new brands from August to September, as foreign merchants rushed to establish a presence ahead of the Singles’ Day shopping bonanza. In Q3, the number of brands opening official stores on Tmall rose by 70%. Over 1,700 foreign brands have debuted on Tmall Global this year, including the popular Chiikawa toy line, which achieved sales of over 5 million RMB ($708,135) on its first day. The rise in new stores highlights the growing interest in “art toys” and designer products, with over 20,000 new stores launched in this category. Despite a sluggish domestic economy, the trend reflects foreign brands’ commitment to the Chinese market, coinciding with preparations for the upcoming Singles’ Day, for which Alibaba has allocated at least 40 billion RMB ($5.4 billion) to support merchants amid fierce competition among major e-commerce platforms.