China's AI glasses surge: what sales teams should do now
Spring Festival spending lit up Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei market: total revenue rose 35% year-on-year, and AI glasses sales jumped 80%. Drones and robots also climbed about 50%. That's not a blip. It's a signal.
China's new subsidy is doing work. AI glasses now qualify for a 15% discount capped at 500 yuan on products priced under 6,000 yuan. The broader program shifted support toward upgrades with stricter efficiency rules for appliances, and the overall subsidy rate moved to 15% (from 20% in earlier phases). Funding is locked in for 2026 via special treasury bonds, so there's runway to plan inventory and campaigns instead of guessing.
Who's buying right now
Reports point to educators and business professionals as early heavy users (Henan). Teleprompter features are pulling interest in Zhejiang-perfect for presenters, trainers, streamers, and field sellers.
Objections remain: weight and battery life. Treat these as a sales advantage. Smooth handling of two core objections is how you separate serious sellers from the rest.
Positioning and talk tracks that convert
- Lead with outcomes: "Hands-free note capture for meetings," "On-the-go prompts for lectures," "Real-time scripts for presentations." Features follow, not lead.
- Subsidy script: "This model qualifies for a 15% discount up to 500 yuan. We process it at checkout-no extra steps." Remove friction and repeat the cap clearly.
- Persona angles: Educators → lesson prompts and recording; Business pros → meeting summaries and calendar prompts; Creators → teleprompter + remote control.
- Demo flow: Start with fit and comfort, then show 3 workflows (notes, prompts, teleprompter). End with battery add-ons and a quick charge tip.
- Handle weight/battery: Position lighter frames and include a compact power bank bundle. Set real use expectations: "Full workday with two quick top-ups."
- Cross-sell with drones/robots in creator or enterprise bundles. Motion tracking + glasses teleprompter is a clean story for content teams and training orgs.
- B2B pilots (4-8 weeks): Schools, training centers, sales teams. Include onboarding, templates, and a return path to bulk order.
Channel and territory plays
Domestic demand is giving Chinese brands a home advantage. Alibaba, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Baidu lead shipments; Q3 2025 hit 623,000 units, up 62.3% year-on-year. IDC expects 4.5 million units in 2026, with AI features in over a third of products sold in China.
Globally, Meta holds about 75.7% of smart glasses share, but four of the top five manufacturers are Chinese firms. Capital is lining up: Thunderbird Innovation raised over 1B yuan; XREAL disclosed roughly US$100M to scale production. Translation: more models, faster refresh cycles, and price pressure. Use that to negotiate and to time promotions.
- Provincial focus: Henan (education and business), Zhejiang (teleprompter/creator). Build local case studies and push live demos.
- Retail + live commerce: Schedule micro-demos every 30 minutes. Short, repeatable scripts close better than long tours.
- Enterprise procurement: Starter packs of 10-25 units, admin console training, and SLAs. Bundle content templates for onboarding.
- Vendor partnerships: Track promo calendars from Alibaba/Huawei/Xiaomi/Baidu and align stock, ads, and spiffs to their release windows.
Pricing and promo math you can use in the field
- 3,000 yuan SKU: 15% = 450 yuan off (within the 500 cap).
- 5,000 yuan SKU: 15% = 750 yuan, but capped at 500 yuan.
- 5,999 yuan SKU: Eligible, capped at 500 yuan.
- 6,000 yuan+: Not eligible (over the threshold).
Position the 4,000-5,999 yuan band as the sweet spot: best net price after subsidy, widest model choice. Bundle accessories or extended support to lift margin without moving above the 6,000 yuan line.
Product and SKU strategy
- Prioritize comfort: Lighter frames, better nose pads, balanced weight. Comfort closes deals.
- Battery plan: Offer pocket power banks and quick-charge docks. Message "all-day workflow" with two top-ups.
- Software first: Scripts, meeting notes, dictation, translation, and teleprompter presets. Sell the use cases, not the chipset.
- IT readiness: For B2B, highlight device management, SSO options, and data control. Reduce IT objections early.
Operational setup (so you don't leave money on the table)
- Subsidy operations: One-click application at checkout, pre-verified SKU list, and a simple receipt flow. Train cashiers and reps.
- Inventory: Overweight the mid-price SKUs. Watch return rates by model for comfort issues and reallocate stock weekly.
- Enablement: Objection flashcards, 3-minute demo scripts, and a teleprompter use-case reel on loop in-store.
- Partners: Schools, creator studios, training firms. Offer co-branded workshops and pilot discounts.
Sales metrics to track weekly
- Demo-to-close rate (by persona: educator, business, creator).
- Subsidy utilization rate (eligible vs. redeemed) and average discount applied.
- Return reasons (comfort, battery, software) and time-to-resolution.
- Accessory attach (power banks, cases, nose pads) and service attach.
- Pilot-to-bulk conversion in B2B/education.
Why this matters for your quota
China is turning its home market into a scale engine for smart eyewear. Subsidies lower the first-purchase risk, and local brands are racing SKU cycles. That means more demand, more competition, and more chances to win-if you're faster on positioning, demos, and ops.
Level up your team fast
If you're building training for storefront staff or a field sales squad, use a structured path that covers prospecting, demo/closing, and CRM automation. Start with the AI Learning Path for Sales Representatives to tighten scripts and shorten sales cycles.
Note: Market and subsidy details referenced from public reports, including the South China Morning Post and IDC.
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