Singles Day, was created by Chinese university students in the 1990s to celebrate their singledom. The chosen date, 11/11, is significant because it consists of four ones, symbolising the concept of solo living.
However, Alibaba consumerised this event, by offering massive sales in 2009 to its consumers as an ‘anti-valentines day’ shopping event, where people can shop for themselves, and it’s become one of the biggest holidays the world has ever witnessed.
The Single Biggest Shopping Day
Singles Day might just be the world’s single biggest sale. In 2022, Consultancy Syntun estimated that shopping events totalled at $128.42 billion USD (for reference that’s $934 billion Chinese yuan or $200 billion Australian dollars) and over the past decade sales have jumped nearly 2000%. According to Forbes, Singles Day sales have now eclipsed both Black Friday and Prime Day combined, in America.
Singles Day has evolved into possibly the world’s most significant retail event. In 2022, according to Consultancy Syntun, the total sales for Singles Day reached a staggering USD 128.42 billion (equivalent to 934 billion Chinese Yuan and 200 billion Australian dollars), marking a more than 2000% increase in sales over the past decade. To put it in perspective, Singles Day sales surpass the combined sales of Black Friday and Prime Day.
The Singles Day Pioneer: Alibaba
Alibaba’s initial Singles’ Day sales event in 2009 featured 27 brands and generated a gross merchandise volume (GMV) of USD 7.8 million or 50 million yuan. In stark contrast, Alibaba’s 2021 Singles’ Day GMV reached an all-time high of USD 84.54 billion. This incredible growth represents an astonishing increase of over one million per cent (1,083,746%) or a 10,000-fold rise in just 12 years, with an 8% increase from the previous year.
Global Success and Pop Culture Influence
Singles’ Day has now become one of the largest online shopping events worldwide, with consumers capitalizing on discounts and sales to purchase a wide range of products, including electronics, clothing, cosmetics, and more. Additionally, the celebration has extended beyond online platforms to physical stores and even to countries outside of China.
Even Australian brands are joining in on the fun with companies such as Priceline, THE ICONIC, ASOS, and The Good Guys. In previous years, Australia has been ranked in the top 5 international countries alongside Japan, Germany, Italy and Canada. To add, several brands in Australia have been highly sought after for Singles Day including Blackmores and NET-A-PORTER. Various articles have also been published in preparation for Singles Day in Australia by magazines such as ELLE Australia and Marie Clare Australia.
Singles’ Day has since become one of the largest online shopping events in the world, with consumers taking advantage of the discounts and sales to buy various products, including electronics, clothing, cosmetics, and more. The holiday has extended itself to physical stores and to countries outside of China.
The holiday has even gotten so famous that Taylor Swift performed at the 2019 Single’s Day concert in Shanghai, and Kim Kardashian promoted her cosmetic line, KKW beauty, alongside Chinese influencer Viya ahead of the holiday.
Singles Day Case Study: Pechoin
To prepare for Singles Day in 2019, Pechoin created high-quality content for Little Red Book and other platforms, getting various Chinese Key Opinion Leaders (KOL’s) sharing their experiences with Pechoin products and encouraging their followers to try the products for themselves. One post by highly influential KOL @C神SEASON of her testing out a beauty mask garnered 1.7 million views and 1000 comments.
In the week leading up to and including Singles’ Day, Pechoin was able to reach 143 million followers and generate more than 160,000 engagements across a myriad of Chinese social media platforms like Little Red Book, Weibo, and WeChat. They ended up being the top-selling Chinses beauty brand in 2019, with sales figures rivalling many of the top Western brands involved in the sale. Another interesting fact about this is this was a major way Pechoin penetrated the younger market, as Little Red Book is mainly used by a younger audience and may boost your credibility in a younger audience.
Your Single’s Day Marketing, Sorted
Set Yourself Apart From The Crowd
Single’s Day 2022 showed us that brands are starting to focus on long-term customer retention. Brands are starting to look at single’s day as a way to build brand loyalty and stand out amongst the others by improving customer experience and product quality. It is also proven a solid growth strategy compared to quick sales, especially on social media. Brands are also setting themselves apart from others by creating engaging online content, building consumer communities and making selective decisions about what retail events to join.
It’s Time To Go Green
As sustainability gains importance, Singles Day is focusing more on sustainability. E-commerce platforms and events are implementing measures like partnering with low-impact packaging brands and reducing their carbon output. Alibaba Cloud’s clean energy usage for Singles Day doubled in 2022, and Cainiao, Alibaba’s logistics division, is recycling and improving logistics with IoT devices. Customers in 2022 could play interactive games that earn them points for green consumption, supporting their green initiatives. With consumers caring more about sustainability than ever before, it should be at the forefront of your Singles Day 2023.
The Single Best Time To Enhance Your Reality
Alibaba’s XR Laboratory is exploring AR and VR technologies to enhance the Singles Day experience. This immersive technology supports brands in creating interactive experiences and content for customers. Brands like Nintendo have benefited from thousands of templates for content creation, shopping coupons, and discount codes. Alibaba has also used VR in previous years to enhance the shopping experience as pictured below. The use of AR and VR adds a layer of engagement that is unparalleled, and should absolutely be used this Singles Day 2023.
Let Us Ignite Your Singles Day Potential in 2023.
I’m sure you know by now how important Singles Day is for your company, and although it is rapidly approaching, don’t worry, we can help you with Singles Day 2023 and 2024..
We are experts in Chinese marketing and social media platforms like WeChat and Little Red Book which have proven Singles Day success. With the right strategies and a focus on these key elements,
Singles Day 2023 holds great potential for marketers to make a lasting impact and capture the hearts of consumers worldwide. At Ignite Search, we’re always on top of current trends, so you can excel in your marketing ventures. If you need more guidance, feel free to download our free branding worksheet, read our blog for more inspiration, or contact us for a consultation.
