Singles’ Day in China started in the 1990s as an unofficial celebration among young singles on November 11, or 11.11. The number “1” resembles a “bare stick,” a slang term for bachelor in China. In 2009, China’s e-commerce company Alibaba Group launched its first Singles’ Day sale, which saw unprecedented success. Nowadays, Alibaba’s Singles’ Day trade value has grown almost 1,000-fold compared to 2009, with billions of orders placed on that day on its e-commerce platforms. In 2021, Singles’ Day sales were no longer a solo act of Alibaba. Now, most of China’s major online retailers participate in this phenomenal autumn shopping event. In that year, Alibaba’s main competitors, JD.com and Pinduoduo, recorded 178 million and 471 million active users on Singles’ Day.
Furthermore, new e-commerce trends such as live commerce and community group buying also prevailed during the Singles’ Day sales. Four of five Chinese respondents from a recent survey confirmed that they planned on shopping while watching a live streaming show. Compared to those who don’t watch live streaming, live commerce consumers tended to spend a longer time in shopping apps and were more likely to purchase during the Singles’ Day sales.
Year on year, Singles’ Day sales attract an increasing number of online shoppers worldwide. In Malaysia, Singles’ Day sales have beaten the national Hari Raya sales to become the most participated shopping event. In the United States, around 18 percent of consumers planned to buy their holiday presents during the Singles’ Day sales, eight percent higher than the previous year.
