China began the main sale of the year, dedicated to Singles Day, traditionally celebrated on November 11. This year, a record number of brands and manufacturers – about 290,000 – are participating in the action, and the sale itself is focusing on inclusiveness and sustainability.
The largest platforms Tmall and Taobao, of Internet giant Alibaba Group, offer more than 14 million discounted products. The number of active buyers is expected to be more than 900 million people.
Beginning in 2020, Alibaba changed the format of the year’s top sale by opening up two additional time slots for shoppers. Starting on 11/11, promotional offers on the country’s leading online marketplaces will be available for 24 hours.
The sale features several new initiatives, including the One Shoe program on Tmall, allowing customers with disabilities to purchase only the left or right shoe for half price. Sketchers, Reebok, Ecco, and other global brands are participating in the promotion.
In addition, a “Goods for Good” program is being implemented, in which a portion of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to charity. Tmall also distributes more than $15 million in vouchers to customers in its carbon footprint reduction campaign.
Alibaba Group held its first Singles Day sale in 2009 when only 27 merchants participated in the campaign. In recent years, “11.11” has become the largest sale globally, surpassing Black Friday and Cyber Monday in terms of purchases. Last year, Alibaba posted $74.1 billion in sales, and JD.com had $41 billion.
