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

Cold as it may be outside, for Chinese netizens, November represents the country’s most heated online event, Singles’ Day. It is a shopping holiday popular among young Chinese citizens that celebrates their pride in being single. The date, November 11th, was chosen because the number “1” represents an individual; thus, this online festival is also known as the Double Eleven Festival in China.

Though the holiday has become the largest offline and online shopping festival in the world, it is the latter that attracts global attention. In 2018, Alibaba, China’s leading online shopping platform, set a sales record of 213.5 billion yuan ($30.8 billion) on Double Eleven. The event got off to a strong start with sales hitting $1 billion in one minute and 25 seconds, while its rival, JD.com, sold goods worth 159.8 billion yuan ($23 billion) during its Singles’ Day campaign.

As the online shopping festival has become an integral part of China’s economy and internet culture, many people have joined us to share their experiences of Double Eleven. They may be a Chinese national living abroad, who thinks the online event is a way to regain her connection with her homeland, or a Russian online seller, who believes shopping festival provide him an opportunity to promote Chinese culture to the world, or a British rookie who is excited to experience her first Double Eleven. Follow us to learn their stories, and have fun during the upcoming Double Eleven Festival!