Singles’ Day: The largest e-commerce day you haven’t heard about
Singles’ Day in China is the world’s largest e-commerce event, bigger even than Black Friday
For all the hype around Black Friday, there’s a sale that’s even larger that few South Africans have heard about. With sales last year double that of the US’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined, China’s Singles’ Day, on November 11, is the world’s largest e-commerce event. Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma made the day what it is, starting off in 2009 with an event akin to Amazon’s Prime Day. Now it’s bigger, much bigger. Sales last year started with a massive $1bn in the first two minutes, culminating in $17.8bn spent on the day. Can SA e-tailers use Singles’ Day to spark a local shopping spree, or perhaps initiate our own day, similar to this ? Getting a head start Singles’ Day is not well-known locally. It seemed to have started at a Chinese university as a day celebrating those who are single, with the date (11/11) containing many “singles”. South Africans who shop on e-commerce platform AliExpress, owned by Alibaba, might have noticed Singles’ Day being heavily promoted through th...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.