Singles Day: Why Chinese on November 11th fell into a total buying frenzy
There will be a state of emergency in China on November 11th: Anyone who doesn't get married on Singles Day 2024 will be shopping online in ecstasy. China expert Manfred Görk explains what's behind it and exactly how the annual discount hunt works.
The one with one
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To understand the Singles Day phenomenon, we need to know that November 11th is an extremely popular day for getting married in China. Couples wait in long lines in front of the registry offices to get their marriage certificate with the 11.11 stamp. The many singles miss out on this moment of happiness and what better way to compensate than by shopping?
Unlike most Central Europeans, Chinese people assign good meaning to certain numbers. Another characteristic, especially of young Chinese people under 40, is to buy as much as possible as cheaply as possible.
By cleverly combining these two characteristics, 11.11. has become by far the day with the highest shopping sales in China, and probably the entire world.
Singles Day on November 11th
The chances of discounts are good on Singles Day, as many retailers take part in the largest bargain event in the world. We reveal what this is all about and which offers you shouldn't miss in our news.
Singles Day: On no other day of the year is so much money spent
How does that work now? The actors are all businesses that trade online as suppliers and young Chinese as buyers. Long in advance, they create detailed shopping lists and note the current prices. It's about clothes and electronics, books and food, toys and flowers, and much more. Quite a few buy all their needs for the coming year on this day.
View Singles Day offers now
Discounts: The hunt starts at midnight
The run begins promptly at midnight and millions upon millions of Chinese do not sleep that night. You are well prepared. Your Wechat Pay and Ali Pay accounts are topped up. All available electronic devices in the household are ready for use, multiple accounts are used and one second after midnight everything starts, all at the same time.
The prices are extremely reduced, often 60, 70 or 80 percent, so you have to be quick. The first 100 buyers can get very special bargains on numerous items. Those who can type the fastest have the greatest chance.
But despite the excellent internet in China, transactions sometimes get stuck or crash. This leads to nervousness, aggression and great tension. Ultimately, everyone gets what they want because the prices stay so low for 24 hours. However, individual items can be sold out after a short time. That's why you have to be early and quick. Nobody buys just three items. There are at least ten and there are buyers who have 80 items in their shopping cart.
To person
Manfred Görk has been traveling regularly to China for many years. On his self-organized trips to the Middle Kingdom, he made many friends and is active in German-Chinese chat groups. He published his experiences from everyday Chinese life in a book at the end of 2017.
What is behind the number symbolism of 11/11? stuck
The “1” stands for “alone, the only one”, also for “single”. 4 times the “1” is of course predestined to use this day for something very special. What was the real trigger? In 2009, the company “Alibaba”, operator of the online shop “Taobao”, had the idea of burning itself deep into the minds and hearts of all Chinese people through a special campaign.
You have 11/11. chosen because of its significance, but were aware that they were taking a risk with it because it falls halfway between China's National Day and Christmas. So between two events where a lot of purchases are made. The promotion consisted of offering many items at an extremely high discount, just for that one day. This one-off attempt has become an annual shopping experience that is unparalleled and completely captivates the Chinese.
By the way, married people are also allowed to shop on Singles Day.
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