Alibaba’s AI chatbot Qwen temporarily halted coupon distribution after overwhelming demand during its Spring Festival promotional campaign. The initiative, part of a 3-billion-yuan ($433 million) strategy, allows users to shop and complete in-app purchases directly through chatbot prompts. Within nine hours of launch, 10 million orders were placed, triggering system overloads and repeated purchase refusals. Qwen acknowledged oversubscription on Weibo, assuring users coupons remain valid until February 28. The disruption highlights both strong consumer interest in AI shopping and technical challenges in Alibaba’s Agentic AI rollout.
Alibaba’s AI chatbot Qwen temporarily halted coupon distribution after overwhelming demand during its Spring Festival promotional campaign. The initiative, part of a 3-billion-yuan ($433 million) strategy, allows users to shop and complete in-app purchases directly through chatbot prompts. Within nine hours of launch, 10 million orders were placed, triggering system overloads and repeated purchase refusals. Qwen acknowledged oversubscription on Weibo, assuring users coupons remain valid until February 28. The disruption highlights both strong consumer interest in AI shopping and technical challenges in Alibaba’s Agentic AI rollout.