Alibaba Cloud's Spring Festival 300M-Redemption Drives 10M+ Tea Orders in 9 Hours

Alibaba Group (09988-HK, BABA-US)’s Tongyi Qianwen app launched its “Spring Festival 300 million red envelope” promotion on February 6, 2026, with an unlimited free-topping deal on iced tea, igniting immediate spending. The campaign covered over 300,000 tea shops, including Xiaohongshu, Nespresso, Luckin, and Hot Topic. Within 9 hours of the launch, the promotion generated 10 million+ tea orders: 1 million in 3 hours, 2 million in 1 hour, and 5 million at 5 hours. The surge overwhelmed operations, causing system outages, staff shortages, and in some areas, shortages of ingredients and delivery backlogs. In Suzhou’s Wujiang district, a Hot Topic outlet reported 800+ orders and a 300% increase in volume, with some consumers placing as many as 20 at once. Many locations issued “Shop Closed for Now” signs while processing backlogs, and Beijing and Shanghai users reported slow order fulfillment and “preparing” status for extended periods.