This year's Double Eleven, there is a new invisible and intangible product in the shopping cart - Token. Many large model manufacturers have launched recharge cards and monthly card packages, some with as low as 50% off on the first order, and some sold 100,000 copies in half an hour in the live broadcast room. From professional terminology in the technology circle to standardized products on mass consumer shelves, Token's entry into Double Eleven released a clear signal that generative AI is accelerating its penetration into the consumer side, and also posed a new test for the trading rules and governance capabilities of digital goods.
The consumption of computing power towards the masses is an inevitable trend for the popularization of technology. In the past, calling large models and purchasing computing power quotas were mainly matters between enterprises and developers, with high professional thresholds. Nowadays, as scenarios such as AI office, AI creation, and AI learning penetrate into daily life, ordinary users' demand for computing power services continues to grow. Token is vividly called the "water and electricity" in the AI era. Now it is put on e-commerce shelves like phone recharges and traffic packages, which not only lowers the threshold for use by the public, but also releases potential consumer demand. Data shows that on the first day of sales, the platform's Token category transaction volume increased several times month-on-month, and users include professionals, student groups, small and medium-sized enterprise operators, etc. This is not only a new highlight to promote consumption, but also marks that computing power consumption has officially stepped out of the professional circle and entered the stage of popular development.
The more emerging a category is, the more wary it is that the rules cannot keep up with the speed of “new innovation”. Physical goods have weight, capacity, and number of pieces as intuitive rulers, and consumers have a clear perception of how much they have purchased. Token, as a unit of measurement for digital services, naturally has blind spots in perception. Currently, there are obvious differences in the statistical calibers of various manufacturers. Input, output, context caching, and image analysis each have their own measurement methods. Some are billed by characters, and some are converted by points. The actual service volume behind the same price varies greatly. According to the "Internet Platform Price Behavior Rules", operators providing services must indicate service items, service content, and prices or pricing methods. Digital goods have no physical form, transparency is the core basis of trust, and pricing rules are unclear, which essentially damages consumers’ right to know.
What is even more noteworthy is that some promotional activities follow the old practice of routine marketing: limited-time discounts and first-order specials are placed in prominent positions, and key information such as validity period, credit deduction range, automatic renewal rules, and cancellation and change restrictions are hidden in the corner of the user agreement. This marketing method of first attracting orders and then disclosing restrictions has long been criticized in the traditional e-commerce field. When new technology meets old routines, it consumes not only the enthusiasm of consumers, but also the reputation of the entire emerging industry. If users place orders when they are excited, use them when they are confused, and become discouraged when defending their rights, no matter how cutting-edge technology products are, it will be difficult to achieve stable and long-term development.
The healthy development of digital goods cannot be separated from a clear rule base. It is necessary for the industry to promote the formation of a relatively unified measurement labeling paradigm as soon as possible, clarify the basic definition and statistical caliber of Token, and require core information such as unit price, measurement method, validity period, and service scope to be prominently displayed on the product page, so that consumers can make clear calculations and compare prices. This is the most basic bottom line for market transactions and is also a clear requirement of the Price Law and the Consumer Rights Protection Law. Platforms cannot only provide listing channels, but must also fulfill their audit and control responsibilities, conduct regular verification of price tags and promotion rules for digital goods, and promptly correct deviations such as vague pricing and concealment of restrictions. Regulatory authorities must also closely track the development of new business formats such as AI consumption, and promptly include digital products within the scope of price supervision and consumer rights protection.
From AI services and digital collections to cloud computing power and virtual memberships, more and more intangible goods are entering the consumer market. These emerging categories represent the vitality and future of the digital economy, and also test the adaptability and foresight of the governance system. To promote the healthy development of "AI + consumption", we must not only encourage technological innovation and scenario expansion, but also simultaneously improve rules and consolidate responsibilities, so that every consumption is clear and every right is real. Only by regulating while developing and developing by regulating can the new track of digital consumption move forward with trust.
