What is Single's Day?

What is Single's Day?

On November 11, China observes Singles' Day as an unofficial holiday. Singles' Day, also referred to as Dual 11, is celebrated by single individuals by buying gifts & items for themselves. As a result, Singles' Day has grown significantly to become the world's biggest internet shopping day. The number 1, which is a naked stick in Chinese Slang for a person who isn't married and doesn't add "branches" to the family lineage, was picked as the date, 11/11 since it symbolizes a stick.

Additionally, the four 1 alludes to the statistical subgroup of single persons. Despite common belief, the festival has evolved into a significant day to commemorate love. In 2011, over 4,000 couples were engaged in Beijing on this day, significantly higher than the average 700 weddings on average.

The day was first observed by a tiny group of university bachelors as a sardonic reaction to customary festivals focused on couples. Daniel Zhang, the CEO of Alibaba, started using the day to organize a 24-hour shopping season in 2009, offering online deals and offline activities. Today, this social celebration is the world's biggest day for both traditional and online retail sales. Competitors to Alibaba, like JD.com, hosted the Singles' Day celebration too though, increasing the Chinese to US$44.5 billion in overall sales volume in 2017.

The total amount spent by Alibaba customers on Singles Day 2018 was above 213.5 billion yuan (US$30.7 billion). According to Alibaba, the total gross sales value for the festival in 2019, was a rise of 26% from the prior year, coming in at 268.4 billion yuan (US$38.4 billion). With their total Singles Day revenues in 2021, Alibaba & JD established a new high of US$139 billion.

While China remains confronted with financial difficulties and obstacles related to zero-Covid-19, Alibaba & JD.com for the first year did not release the Singles' Day overall sales in 2022. Alibaba stated that its statistics were "in accordance with [2021's] GMV results," while JD.com claimed that its Singles' Day activity established a record.

History of Singles' Day

In 1993, the festival, which was once known as "Bachelor's Day," got its onset among students at Nanjing University in China as a type of Valentine's Day satire. One legend holds that it all began after 4 single male students at Nanjing University debated how they could prevent themselves from getting bored of being single, they decided that November 11 was to be a day of activities and pleasures. The title changed as these events attracted men and women equally and gradually extended to other colleges.

Paradoxically, parties and some other social events are planned for Singles' Day, and it is also a common date for weddings. Singles' Day currently serves as a celebratory opportunity for single individuals to get together. Chinese media outlets talk about and discuss areas pertaining to love and marriage on this day.

Later, other nations adopted Singles' Day. Today, it is observed not only in select European nations, such as Germany, and Belgium, as well as the United Kingdom but also across Southeast Asia. The variant used in Great Britain was started by dating professionals and takes place on March 11 instead.

Singles' Day was created as an insult to those in long-term relationships. Nevertheless, it quickly evolved into a day to honor one's friendships and uniqueness. People began gaining the skills necessary to love and satisfy themselves. A tiny group of undergraduates created Singles' Day as a satirical reaction to couple-centric holidays observed all over the world. Daniel Zhang, the Chief Operating Officer of Alibaba, started exploiting the day into a 24-hour shopping season starting in 2009. The day is now recognized as the biggest day for both in-store and online shopping.

Characterization

Singles' Day is a day when single individuals can get together and throw parties. Bachelors' Day was the original name of this social event because it was once observed exclusively by young men.Nevertheless, both genders nowadays regularly enjoy it. On this day, blind dates are very common in an effort to change the attendees' singledom. Some colleges run specific events to bring individuals together to celebrate the occasion.

College efforts have contributed to reducing that pessimism. Singles may adopt an angry or ego mindset in reaction to being single while attending university. The urge to find a mate despite the fact that this date is designed to commemorate being alone On such dates, young Chinese people routinely express their desire for a companion whereas other love-related topics are covered by the Chinese media.

Shopping

Despite being the world's greatest retail and internet shopping day, the occasion is not a declared national holiday in China. Sales on Tmall & Taobao, Alibaba's e-commerce platforms, totaled US$5.8 billion in 2013, US$9.3 billion in 2014, US$14.3 billion in 2015, US$17.8 bn in 2016, and more than US$25.4 billion in 2017. JD.com also broke a record for revenues in 2017 with US$19.1 billion, whereas Lazada generated US$123 million.

Many enterprises, especially restaurants, karaoke bars, and internet shopping centers, have seized the chance to target new customers as more individuals partake in the commemoration of this occasion. For instance, on November 11, 2012, the Chinese online store Taobao sold products for 19 billion CNY, or roughly $3 billion.

Alibaba set a new record for the total number of payments processed on Singles' Day 2017 by a significant margin. Alipay, the company's digital wallet app, handled 256,000 transactions every second. Throughout the full 24-hour period, Alipay processed 1.48 billion transactions, and Cainiao, Alibaba's operations partner, received nearly 700 million shipments, shattering the old record from 2016.

Events

Singles' Day is now recognized as a social occasion. In the evening well before the busiest shopping day, Alibaba typically holds sizable celebration events with performances by international stars like Nicole Kidman in 2017, Taylor Swift at Alibaba's Shanghai gala in 2019, & Katy Perry in a Webcast in 2020. The weekend is more than just a time for shopping; it also serves as an opportunity for individuals to party, connect with new people, and observe customs that honor being single. Since there were six "ones" instead of four in 2011, it was known as the Singles Day of the Decade. On November 11th, 2011, there were more weddings than usual in Beijing & Hong Kong.

American Singles Day Buying

As per Adobe Analytics, American shoppers spent $2.7 billion on November 11th, up and over 38% from the previous year. But according to Adobe writer Taylor Schreiner, a significant increase for Singles' Day in the US is improbable because of conflicting holidays and shopping occasions.

Schreiner writes, "Trying to insert a synthesized holiday all over mid - November like Singles' Day in the U.S. will indeed disagree with Veteran's Day, in addition to affecting how we start celebrating Halloween. The "11 Must-Shop Single's Day Deals" on the webpage Shop Style on November 11, 2020, included deals like Nike, Macy's, Matches Fashion, & Saks Fifth Avenue, among many other companies.

Comparing Singles' Day Sale to Prime Day, Black Friday, & Cyber Monday.

Alibaba reported $74.1 billion in revenue in 2020. celebrating Singles' Day on each of its official websites. The following year, the U.S. retail industry made $9 billion, $5.2 billion, & $10.84 billion on Black Friday, Premier Day, and Holiday Deals, correspondingly.

German and Belgian business media market advertises Singles' Day although responses have indeed been unfavorable because November 11 is the occasion of the Peace of November 11, 1918, which put an end to World War I and is known for the solemn memorial of the dead soldiers in Belgium. A Singles Day promotion was marketed by the Swedish electronics store Elgiganten in Norway in 2016 until being launched in those other Nordic nations the following year.

Singles' Day has grown to be the most popular online shopping day across the globe, despite not being a declared national holiday in China. As Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba provided heavily discounted goods on its website for 24 hours beginning at dawn on November 11, 2009, the holiday turned into a significant corporate meeting in China throughout the first decade of the 21st century.

On December 28, 2012, Alibaba Group registered trademark reg numbers 10136470 & 10136420 for the phrase "Double 11" in China. Alibaba threatened legal proceedings over media sites that allow advertisements from rivals who use this word in October 2014. Ever since, Singles' Day has grown to be associated with shopping, much like Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the U.S. after November. Alibaba reported $84.5 billion in sales worldwide in 2021.

How should Singles Awareness Day be observed?

There is no global Single's Day but people celebrate Single Awareness Day in various parts but it is not observed in a particular way. Since it is not a commonly observed or observed festival, there are no well-established customs or rituals connected to it. Others can use the day to give themself something special, like a treat or a nice wardrobe. Other individuals might decide to enjoy the day with relatives or friends.

Single Awareness Day may provide some individuals with the opportunity to think back on previous partnerships and ponder what they desire in a mate, while others might decide to simply celebrate being single and the freedom and autonomy it brings. Considering that there is no one "correct" method to observe Single Awareness Day, you can enjoy it regardless if it is enjoyable or meaningful to you.

The annual Singles Awareness Day also known as Singles Appreciation Day is observed on February 15. Single individuals observe it as an informal holiday. For those who are single, unmarried, or not involved in a love relationship, it acts as a contrast to Valentine's Day. It is a celebration of all types of love, honoring the love of one's family, friendships, and self-love. Singles Awareness Day is observed by certain individuals in retaliation for Valentine's Day, as just a Hallmark holiday, or for various motives.