This year's Singles Day saw a notable shift from the glamour of previous years to the prioritisation of social concerns. Alibaba launched an eco-friendly vertical channel on Tmall, with discounts offered on eco-friendly products to incentivise more sustainable purchasing decisions.
Additionally, live streaming stole the show with celebrity host Li Jiaqi's live streaming session generating 250 million views and selling a staggering US$1.7 billion worth of goods in 12 hours.
Live streaming offers an accelerated conversion to 30%, 10x higher than other marketing channels and enables brands to improve their approach and differentiation. It is predicted that by 2026 10-20% of all e-commerce sales will be initiated by live stream.
There was also a significant increase in the diversity of consumers as a result of Covid driving more elderly consumers online. To better serve them, Alibaba launched a Taobao senior mode featuring larger text and icons and voice-assisted technology, making it easier for senior citizens to search for products using voice commands.
Singles Day 11.11 in numbers -
Contact Grace Chung - gchung@space-exec.com - to learn more about growing your consumer goods team. Grace leads Space Executive’s Hong Kong office covering Greater China. Her primary focus is on recruiting C-level, VP, GM and Functional Heads within the consumer goods sectors. Typical mandates require candidates with global and regional management experience.
Sources :
https://www.forbes.com/sites/franklavin/2020/10/27/singles-day-2020-what-does-it-mean/?sh=75fed66b57e2
https://www.forbes.com/sites/franklavin/2021/11/15/chinas-singles-day-2021-three-questions-answered/?sh=69b8fa1f2542
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/its-showtime-how-live-commerce-is-transforming-the-shopping-experience
https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2021/11/singles-day-and-black-friday-what-can-we-expect-for-2021/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forrester/2021/11/08/highlights-of-singles-day-2021metaverse-nfts-sustainability-and-loyalty/