What is Singles' Day?

Is Singles’ Day highlighted in your e-commerce calendar? It should be – although it originated in China, it’s become the biggest online shopping event in the world. Here’s everything you need to know about Singles’ Day on November 11 – and how to cash in.

What is Singles’ Day?

Move over Valentine’s Day, the singles want some fun, too! Singles’ Day on 11 November (11/11 – all the singles!) originated in China, conceived by a group of college bachelors who wanted a dedicated holiday to celebrate their singledom. Then in 2009, spotting an opportunity, China’s leading e-commerce marketplace Alibaba began marketing Singles’ Day as a special sales event. Since then, it's become an annual shopping bonanza where it’s not unusual for sales to reach ten times that of an average shopping day in China.

Meanwhile, the West is beginning to catch on, too. A survey by Klarna¹ found that 14% of US consumers intended to buy their 2022 holiday gifts on Singles’ Day – up from 10% two years prior.   

All of which means, there are plentiful opportunities for businesses all around the world to make some big sales – providing they ship internationally, of course.

China’s Singles’ Day: what you need to know

As the largest e-commerce platform in China, you’ve probably heard of Alibaba⁶, a B2B business connecting wholesale exporters in China with countries around the world. The bit you should know about is Tmall Global⁷, Alibaba’s dedicated B2C platform specifically set up for foreign businesses. It allows cross-border sellers to build virtual storefronts and ship products to Chinese customers without the need for a physical entity in the country or a Chinese business license. You can also accept payments in your local currency.

It's more than just one day

The warmup period to Singles’ Day begins in late October. Many of the leading e-commerce marketplaces run presales to boost revenue and to allow consumers to pay deposits to secure popular items before the big day.

Chinese shoppers like to buy from overseas brands

According to a survey of Tmall Global shoppers⁹, the leading reasons they buy from cross-border brands are:

Though relatively new in the West, livestreaming has been hugely popular in China for years. Customers enjoy being able to learn about a product in-depth, whilst for businesses, this engagement leads to greater conversions.  

The challenge for overseas brands is to find a video hosting platform with the relevant clearance in China. Instead, they could focus on ensuring their product listings feature plenty of high-res photos, video tutorials and how-to guides, whilst being quick to respond to customer queries on social media.

Consumers are embracing more considered consumption: over 33 million of them purchased eco-friendly products on Tmall and Taobao during the 2022 Singles’ Day sales¹⁰. Meanwhile, keyword searches for sustainable topics including “energy-saving” and “low carbon” surged on JD.com¹¹.

How to sell to China this Singles’ Day

• Do your research

To appeal to Chinese consumers, you need to know their buying behaviors and preferences. Luckily, we’ve done the research for you: dive into our dedicated China country guide for all the local insights you’ll need.

• Optimise your e-commerce website for mobile
  

Mobile commerce dominates Singles’ Day, so ensure your customers have an easy, fast and intuitive experience – otherwise they’ll abandon their carts.

• Translate your content

Ensure your website copy and marketing messaging is converted into the local language for foreign browsers.

• Offer payment in Yuan
  

Provide payment options and gateways where transactions can be done in the Chinese currency.

• Use the number 11 as a hook
  

Offering a 11% discount on sale items, for example, will show your brand is joining in the fun!

• Offer fast shipping
  

Chinese consumers may be deterred from buying from overseas brands as they think their orders will be delayed. By partnering with DHL, you can offer customers Express international delivery. Just be sure to highlight it on your homepage to incentivise shoppers.

• Monitor your inventory closely
  

An inventory management system can help you track your stock levels in real time. If something sells out, you need to be ready to quickly pivot to promote another item instead. 

Ship to Singles' Day customers across the world effortlessly with a DHL Express Business Account.