On Feb. 17 Qianwen's consumer app rolled out an amplified Spring Festival promotion: any user who places an order using Qianwen's one-sentence ordering feature can claim a "daily first-order" discount, with reductions as small as RMB 3.8. The incentive can be stacked on top of existing merchant promotions on platforms such as Taobao Flash Sale, Fliggy and Damai, a detail that broadens its appeal beyond the app's own inventory.
What looks like a modest price cut is part of a broader push to convert curiosity about generative-AI assistants into habitual commerce. Qianwen began life as an AI model and platform; in recent months Alibaba-backed coverage of new model releases and usage spikes has shifted attention to how those models feed real consumer flows — booking tickets, ordering goods, and nudging shoppers toward purchases.
The stackability of the discount is notable. Allowing consumers to combine Qianwen's voucher with deals from established e-commerce and travel-ticketing platforms suggests either technical interoperability or negotiated commercial arrangements, both of which reduce friction for users and increase Qianwen's chances of generating repeat transactions.
For incumbents and rivals the promotion is a signal that AI brands are moving beyond novelty features toward transaction capture. Small, frequent discounts are a classic customer-acquisition tool; when paired with conversational ordering, they can establish a habit loop: quick prompt, fast fulfilment, and a low-friction financial sweetener. That loop is precisely what platforms hope will translate into higher lifetime value.
That strategy carries costs and risks. Margins on a RMB 3.8 discount are negligible, so the campaign is primarily about volume and user engagement rather than immediate profitability. If competitors respond with their own subsidies, the market may face a short-term price war. Meanwhile, close integration with other platforms raises questions about commission sharing, data flows, and operator relationships — and in China’s tightly regulated tech sector these commercial arrangements will attract scrutiny.
The campaign also previews a larger trend: AI brands leveraging model improvements to deepen commercial hooks. Qianwen's recent model releases and promotional experiments show Alibaba's intent to turn an AI interface into an acquisition channel for commerce, media and services. Observers should watch whether the company can sustain conversion rates after the promotional window closes and whether user behaviour shifts from novelty interactions to habitual ordering.