Double 11, China\x26#39;s e-commerce extravaganza explained.
It's a common complaint that Christmas and Valentine's Day have become over-commercialized, but no holiday has been given a capitalist makeover quite like Singles' Day, when China's e-commerce giants slash their prices.
Alibaba, the owner of Taobao, has turned Singles' Day into the world's largest online shopping festival.
What originally started as 24 hours of frantic online sales has turned into weeks of discounts beginning as early as mid-October and sometimes lasting until mid-November.
Before you scurry off to catch the tail end of this cyber bargain bonanza, here are 11 things you need to know about the shopping spree that is Shuang Shiyi.
1. We should really call it Double 11
The English name, Singles' Day, comes from the Chinese version, Guanggun Jie (光棍节), but the date is now more commonly called Shuang Shiyi (双十一), or 'Double 11,' after the date, November 11, which when written 11/11 conjures the image of four singletons and/or four leafless trees.
The Chinese term guanggun literally means 'bare branches,' and refers specifically to single men.
(Single ladies, at least those who've reached the age of *gasp* 28 without finding a husband, are known as shengnu, or 'leftover women.')
Now, Singles' Day has a new name—it is officially called the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, and has skyrocketed in popularity over the last decade.
2. Singles' Day was started by lonely college guys
Often dubbed 'Anti-Valentine's Day,' Singles' Day is a celebration of single people across China, and—increasingly—the world.
Singles' Day was conceived innocently enough, reputedly in a dorm room at Nanjing University in 1993, by four single male students looking to liven up their lonely lives with fun group activities for singles, like KTV and eating youtiao—the deep-fried breakfast of champions that looks like the number yi.
The idea quickly grew into a nationwide tradition for young singles, almost certainly spurred by China's overabundance of young men—a sex ratio imbalance created by the one-child policy.
3. Alibaba turned Singles' Day into China's Cyber Monday
This being post-Deng China, someone had to imbue the Valentine's Day for singles with Chinese characteristics. Enter Alibaba.
In 2009, the company was looking for a way to boost sales during the commercial lull between the October Holiday and Chinese New Year, and seized on Singles' Day—popular with their key user base of internet-savvy balinghou (the post-80s generation in China).
As a marketing stunt, Alibaba convinced 27 merchants to discount their goods on Tmall. By 2014, 27,000 merchants were on board.
Fast forward to 2020, when 250,000 brands and five million merchants took part, according to Forbes.
This year, Taobao launched simultaneous promotions in 20 countries, giving Singles Day a much more international flavor.
AliExpress, Shein, and Temu have all successfully established a global presence, indicating the rise of Chinese e-commerce and, by extension, Double 11 sales.
Image via Queue It
4. The race to RMB10 billion
Singles' Day has seen phenomenal year-on-year growth, and in the early years, platforms made it a point to celebrate certain gross merchandise volume (GMV) benchmarks, such as RMB10 billion.
In 2016, it took Alibaba seven whole minutes to reach RMB10 billion; the following year, that time was cut in half, down to just over three minutes.
In 2018, it took just 125 seconds to reach the RMB10 billion mark; and the following year, we saw GMV hit its first target in 96 seconds.
READ MORE: Alibaba Sells ¥10 Billion in 96 Seconds on Singles' Day, Breaks Record
It is estimated that the total GMV for the 2024 Singles' Day e-commerce sales was around RMB1.4418 trillion, a 26.6% increase from the previous year.
However, since 2022, individual e-commerce platforms such as Tmall and JD.com have chosen not to disclose their GMV data.
READ MORE: Double 11 Ends Without Sales Data... Again
Analysts have speculated that the Chinese e-commerce market may have reached its peak in 2021, potentially prompting this change in approach.
Perhaps with the recent expansions into global markets, we will get to see some numbers this year.
5. Smartphones make it too easy to shop
A report published earlier this year by research firm QuestMobile revealed that Chinese mobile users spent, on average, 5.5 hours a day online on their mobile devices.
In addition, 99.8% of internet users reported that their mobile phones were their primary access point.
While the exact, up-to-date percentage isn't specified, in recent years mobile devices have accounted for approximately 90% or more of Alibaba's Singles' Day sales.
Those handy little phones in our pockets are the easiest way to empty our wallets.
Image via Bain
6. Singles' Day isn't really just one day anymore
Just as the build-up to Christmas seems to begin earlier every year, so it is with 11/11, as sites begin luring customers by advertising discounts in the weeks leading up to the big day.
Each year, we're seeing people go through greater lengths to earn coupons for products during Double 11.
South China Morning Post reported that shoppers compete on in-app mini games for all sorts of deals in the weeks leading up to the shopping bonanza; one college student admitted to spending four to five hours per day raising a virtual cat on her phone.
Although many of the core deals still take place on November 11, the whole past month has basically been a sensory overload for online shoppers.
7. Copycats abroad
Given the success of Alibaba's big shopping festival, other platforms and countries have adopted their own marketing ploys.
Double 11 has inspired events such as 9.9, 10.10 and 12.12, with Southeast Asian countries pushing for online shopping events to help economies recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In recent years, Alibaba has also focused on going global with the event. In August 2020, Tmall Global launched a virtual pitch event for US small and medium-sized businesses, called Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest. Winners had their products featured in the online shopping event.
Evolving from old-school e-commerce to today's social-media-driven retail and near-instant fulfillment, the recent progression of the Chinese retail market has been astounding.
However, the tightening of some import regulations might have affected sales abroad—the US has removed de minimis exemptions for low-value postal consignments after a surge of exports began using the loophole.
Image via Caixin Global
8. The logistics are mindboggling
In 2022, the number of parcels handled on November 11 alone reached 552 million. In 2023, the number hit 639 million, up 16% year-on-year.
While the exact number of parcels sent out for Singles' Day 2024 was not specified, a total of over 4.27 billion parcels were handled by China's postal stations and express firms from November 1 to 11.
This is a significant increase from regular delivery volumes and indicates the scale of the shopping festival.
9. Even luxury brands have bought in
Luxury brands like Gucci, Balenciaga, Prada, Cartier, and Louis Vuitton participate in Singles' Day by offering online-exclusive collections, limited-time deals, and interactive campaigns.
Many launched virtual flagship stores on platforms like Tmall, use livestreaming to engage customers and creating special products for the event to target the large Chinese luxury market.
Mariah Carey performing at the 2018 11.11 Global Shopping Festival in Shanghai. Image by Simon Song
10. Even celebrities join in the celebrations
You'd be wrong to assume that Singles' Day is all about shopping. The holiday's entertainment factor is enough to sway your opinion, with a massive gala held each year in the lead-up to midnight.
In previous years, we've seen Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma cruising the streets as a deliveryman and attempting to sell lipstick via livestream.
In 2019, Taylor Swift performed at Alibaba's Singles' Day Countdown Gala in Shanghai—it can't get much crazier than that!
Other stars who have made appearances at the extravagant event include Katy Perry, Jackie Chan, Pharrell Williams, David Beckham, and Kobe Bryant.
11. Netizens share their Double 11 shopping experience
The next most fun thing about shopping? Showing off what you bought!
In the aftermath of Singles' Day, some shoppers take to social media to share what they purchased or how much they spent.
Among many Singles' Day-related topics on Weibo, the hashtag #Double11WhatDidYouBuy (#双十一买什么#) gives readers an inside look at some consumers' shopping carts.
This article was originally published on Thatsmags.com in November 2015. It has been updated and republished on November 11, 2025.
Contributors include Ella Wong, Ryan Gandolfo, and Yinmai O'Connor.
[Cover graphic by That's]
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