CHINA'S SINGLES DAY 2015 HAS BECOME THE BIGGEST ONLINE SHOPPING DAY!

Yes saw right, Singles Day! However this time it’s about about one of the biggest online shopping days of the year in China. It all started around 20 years ago at Nanjing University and has been largely popularised and observed by youth in several regions outside China as well. The date 11/11 was formed as an alternative to Valentine’s Day and it is supposed to symbolise “bare branches” or bachelors and it serves as an occasion for single people to party with single friends. It is very interesting to know that for breakfast on Singles Day, singles often eat four Youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks) representing the four "ones" in "11.11" and one Baozi (steamed stuffed bun) representing the middle dot. In addition to meaning 'single,' the four 'ones' can also mean 'only one' as in 'the only one for me.' Some people will use this date to tell their special someone that they are the only 'one' in their  heart. In 2009 the online retail firm Alibaba adopted a Singles Day to promote an online shopping sale extravaganza and it rapidly became a hit. It is one of the key periods in the consumer spending period between National Day and the Chinese New Year Holiday.

The combination of growing consumerism in China with a growing bachelor population, plus the Internet, has turned Singles Day into a nationwide shopping phenomenon that is now ready for its international debut. Last year it has attracted the participation of more than 27,000 global brands including Japanese brands Muji and Uniqlo, Spanish retailer Desigual and American outdoor clothing label The North Face. It's not a big surprise that consumers are planning to spend more during this year's Double 11 given income levels and internet penetration rise throughout China. In fact in the first 12 minutes of 11/11 over 10 Billion RMB was spent online….WOW!

Happy shopping everyone! Will you be participating in Double Eleven Singles Day? What will you buy? To ensure you don’t miss out on opportunities like this, feel free to contact us, and use our expertise to ensure your Chinese digital marketing is a success. Toni Kostanic