Itâs like a day for you. And a day for âme.â
The holiday season is wonderful in that it reminds us of friends, family and loved ones. The holiday traditions – the gift giving, the celebrations and events â are often geared toward families, kids, moms, dads, etc. Itâs easy to overlook one group, singles. Chinese young people recognized this and developed âSinglesâ Dayâ as a way to show their pride in their single status.
How Did Singlesâ Day Begin and Become So Big?
Singlesâ Day originated in China in the 1990s. November 11, or âThe Day of One,â acts as a day to not only give gifts to your single friends and family, but to also make purchases for yourself. In an article published by TIME Magazine, Singlesâ Day is depicted as comparable to Black Friday or Cyber Monday for Chinese individuals. In fact, it was far more than that.
By 2015, Singlesâ Day had become the biggest online shopping day in history at $14.3 Billion. For perspective, that $14.3 billion figure is over four times the sales of Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving) in 2015.This event is not only booming in China, but is beginning to spread worldwide. Last year, the US saw about $1.4 million.
Some suggest that Singlesâ Day wonât take off in the US since the original inspiration came from Chinese students and thereby the US doesnât have an emotional connection to it. As today is singles day, here are some things you might see during this occasion and how to make the most of 11/11, The Day of Ones, next year:
Keep an eye on consumer spending in the US:
As a retailer, you may see a rise in spending today. It may benefit to analyze how Singlesâ Day is effecting you now and plan for the future.
Help make gifting to single friends fun:
It can be beneficial to play up on the celebration of everyone in your customersâ lives. Singlesâ Day is a great reason for individuals to buy gifts for their single friends and family.
Promote self-gifting:
Getting a gift and splurging on yourself is great from time to time. Let your customers know that you value them no matter their relationship status.
There could be the possibility that you may never hear of Singlesâ Day again. Or, maybe seeing the calendar flip to 11/11 will inspire you to use this obscure holiday to help with sales. Or, if youâre fully onboard, you may even decide to browse the virtual aisles of the online shopping world yourself. Who knows, you may help someone find that perfect gift for that special someone who didnât even know they had their own day.
Watch China break spending records:
It is projected that Alibaba, a giant trade platform sometimes compared to Amazon, will see sales at around $20 Billion this year on Singlesâ Day.