From Single’s Day to the largest global online shopping feast: Stories of China’s Black Friday (3)

Game Times, 29

Beijing

Online video game seller, 7 years of online selling experience

I am a huge video game fan, that’s why I started my online video game shop seven years ago, to share my happiness with other players. During Double Eleven, our shop arranges a series of activities and discounts for buyers and fans. The influence of Double Eleven has grown in recent years. From the business perspective, it is a way to get rid of our stock by the end of the year, as well as attracting more customers, promoting our brand. That’s why video game producers, online shopping platforms, and shop owners are so keen on this event.

Online shopping platforms hardly give shop owners any subsidies for their discounts during Double Eleven, though video game companies may reduce prices a bit. Shop owners are happy to part with some income in exchange for popularity and publicity. For most online shops, the week before and after Double Eleven are the hardest, because most buyers wait until Nov. 11 to get what they want. Some big shops may earn more than a month’s income in just one day, but for small businesses like us, that is quite unlikely. The reason why we want to participate in the event is to attract customers, promoting our brand.

I think Double Eleven has fundamentally changed the traditional buyer-seller relationship, making it more social and vivid. We set up group chats for our buyers, sharing ideas for new games and providing them with discount information. Sellers like us can get money and publicity from Double Eleven, while the buyers can get cheaper products, so it’s a win-win situation.