Yiwu, Zhejiang province, a global hub for small commodity manufacturing, is embracing artificial intelligence technology to enhance marketing efficiency within its expansive jewelry industry. The city, known for producing a vast array of products with a significant share of both domestic and international markets, faces the challenge of maintaining rapid product turnover amid growing competition.
With over 8,000 jewelry companies and 3,000 factories, Yiwu’s manufacturers launch nearly 10,000 new fashion items daily. Traditionally, jewelry businesses relied on human models and professional photography teams to produce marketing visuals, a process that could take up to two weeks and cost several hundred yuan per image. This approach often hampered the ability of many smaller merchants to keep pace with fast-moving e-commerce demands.
To address these issues, China Mobile’s Zhejiang Branch established the “AIGC + E-commerce Scenario Commando” team, which developed the “AI E-commerce Xing-can” platform. Leveraging advanced large language models and multimodal artificial intelligence technologies, the platform allows merchants to upload smartphone photos and receive a set of five commercial-quality images within 40 seconds, while promotional videos are generated in three minutes.
Lin Muyun, owner of Zhuoneng Jewelry, highlighted significant gains from adopting the platform. Launching about 100 products daily, Lin’s company requires substantial visual content for various markets. Since using the AI tool, visual production efficiency has increased by 90 percent and costs have fallen by 96 percent. This innovation also contributed to a 12 percent growth in their e-commerce client base last year, with cross-border sales now representing half of total revenue.
Beyond reducing expenses, Lin noted that AI has lessened hidden opportunity costs associated with manual design work. Previously, designers often spent months revising images based on unclear customer feedback, limiting their ability to focus on core functions such as product development and strategic planning. The AI system now provides instant visualizations, freeing talent to engage in higher-level tasks.
The platform has also made advanced marketing resources accessible to smaller enterprises through a token-based computational model, reducing financial and technical barriers. Li Chong, who co-manages Qintong Jewelry with her daughter, reported annual savings of 500,000 to 600,000 yuan by replacing traditional photography with AI-generated personalized images. These savings have allowed them to concentrate more fully on product innovation and daily operations.
As AI-generated content increases, concerns about copyright protection and compliance with platform regulations have emerged. China Mobile has implemented automated checks to ensure uploaded images meet national data standards and comply with relevant laws before commercial use.
This integration of artificial intelligence into jewelry marketing reflects broader trends in digital transformation within China’s manufacturing sectors, offering efficiency gains and new opportunities for businesses across scales.