What’s the Story?

In this report, we discuss Singles’ Day promotions around the world, including the US, Europe, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Southeast Asia and the UAE. Coresight Research visited physical stores and e-commerce websites to gauge the adoption of Singles’ Day by retailers globally and to gather examples of 11.11 deals.

Why It Matters

Started by Alibaba in 2009, 11.11 is now the biggest national shopping festival in China.

• Alibaba recorded ¥498.2 billion ($74.1 billion) in GMV for Singles’ Day 2020—the official sales period for which was November 1–11—representing an increase of 26% from the same period in 2019, according to the company.
• JD.com booked $40.9 billion in GMV during November 1–11 this year, representing a 34.6% year-over-year increase.

Originating as an online-only shopping festival in China, 11.11 has expanded in recent years to become a global event with an omnichannel presence. Although China’s e-commerce ecosystem remains the epicenter of Singles’ Day, brands and retailers around the world leveraged the festival this year to promote their products and drive sales.

Singles’ Day Around the World: In Detail

Internationally, we saw that Singles’ Day 2020 focused on online deals­, with very few promotions offered in physical retail. The US In the US, Singles’ Day coincides with Veterans Day and falls in a month that is already saturated with popular shopping holidays, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Only 3% of US consumers planned to shop on Singles’ Day 2020, according to an October survey by Deloitte. We saw a few brands and retailers hold Singles’ Day sales for US customers:

• Beauty brands:
  • bareMinerals provided 20% discounts for all orders in its online store.
  • At Lancôme, shoppers could get 20% discounts on orders above $75, 25% off orders above $100 and 30% off orders above $150.
  • Shu Uemura provided 30% discounts and gave away 11 samples with all orders.
  • Mac promoted two special kits for Singles’ Day—the classic kit and the lipstick bestsellers kit.
• Haircare brand Bumble and bumble provided $11 off orders over $50.
• Various apparel brands also offered promotions:
  • DL1961 offered 30% discounts on all orders.
  • Uniqlo gave out ultra-warm tees for orders over $200.
  • Men’s clothing brand Brooks Brothers offered 50% off all products.
  • Outerwear brand Mackage provided 11% discounts on all orders.
• Baboon, a luggage brand, offered shoppers a free monomesh pouch set with any purchase above $50.
• Luxury retailer Jomashop launched 175 exclusive deals for Singles’ Day—offering lower prices on selected products.
• Healthcare retailer iHerb provided 22%discounts on all products.
• At Rock Shop, merchandising site of restaurant chain Hard Rock Cafe, consumers could get a free tote with orders above $25.

[caption id="attachment_119214" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: bareMinerals [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119215" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Bumble and bumble [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119216" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Uniqlo [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119217" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Jomashop [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119218" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: iherb [/caption]   Europe: Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK In Europe, Singles’ Day was more prominent in Germany than in France, Italy, the Netherlands or the UK. In the UK, only 2% of consumers said they were aware of Singles’ Day and planned to take advantage of discounts during the event, according to YouGov. We saw many online sites in the UK run promotions during November 11, but these were mainly under the Black Friday theme, with only a few retailers offering deals for Singles’ Day this year.

• Fashion retailer Boohoo offered 30% discounts on all products during Singles’ Day. It provided 25% discounts during Singles’ Day 2019, and 20% in 2018.
• Online retailer ASOS offered 20% discounts, the same as last year.
• Department store chain Harvey Nichols, skincare brand Caudalie, and health-care retailer Holland & Barrett also had promotions for Singles’ Day.
• Amazon UK, major department stores Debenhams and House of Fraser and leading electronics chain Currys PC World ran promotions but not under the Singles’ Day banner; promotions were often themed around an extended Black Friday.

In Germany, we saw a few players offer Singles’ Day promotions, including the country’s biggest department store chain and online apparel giant Zalando.

• The country’s biggest department store chain Galeria Kaufhof Karstadt provided 11% discounts on selected products.
• Consumer electronic chains MediaMarkt and Saturn offered 11% discounts on electronics products. This was in contrast to the electronics market leader in the UK (Currys PC World, noted above) and in France (Darty), neither of which held 11.11-themed promotions.
• Online fashion platform Zalando offered 22% discounts on beauty products and accessories. However, the retailer did not offer Singles’ Day-themed promotions in the UK or France, underscoring the event’s higher profile in Germany.

In Italy, luxury retailer Luisa Via Roma participated in Singles’ Day, with a designated sales page for women’s and men’s products. In the Netherlands, the biggest online retailer, Bol.com, offered promotions for Singles’ Day—70% discounts on perfume products. We also observed that some previous participants did not run Singles’ Day promotions this year, such as French e-commerce platform Cdiscount. [caption id="attachment_119219" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: ASOS [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119220" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Harvey Nichols [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119221" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Galeria Kaufhof Karstadt [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119222" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Zalando [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119223" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Luisa Via Roma [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119224" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Bol.com[/caption]   Hong Kong and Taiwan In Hong Kong, various types of retailers and brands participated in Singles’ Day this year.

• Supermarket operators and grocery retailers:
  • ParknShop offered “11.11 Best Seller Goodie Bag” to consumers that spent HK$1,111 ($143) or more.
  • At Wellcome, consumers that spent more than HK$500 ($64) could receive free gifts, such as chips and beverages.
  • Foodwise offered 11% off all orders.
• Beauty retailers:
  • SaSa ran Singles’ Day sales from November 2 to 13, providing up to 90% discounts.
  • Bonjour provided 15% discounts on selected products.
  • Strawberrynet ran Singles’ Day sales from November 3 to 12, offering different discounts on selected products. For instance, shoppers could receive 61% off Elizabeth Arden products.
  • Cosme-de.com offered HK$100 ($12.90) discounts on orders above HK$1,500 ($193).
• Online fashion platforms:
  • SHEIN provided up to 60% discounts on its Hong Kong website, and customers could enjoy free delivery during Singles’ Day.
  • Zalora provided 45% off its bestselling products.
• Electronics retailer YOHO held sales of its bestselling products, including hairdryers and kettles priced at HK$11 ($1.40).
• Other brands:
  • Samsonite provided up to 60% off online products only.
  • Giordano offered 50% discounts on products via its online and offline stores.
  • NIKE offered 50% off selected products.

We saw some retailers and brands run promotions in their physical stores in Hong Kong (such as Foodwise and Giordano, noted above). In addition, shopping mall Olympian City hosted a livestream for Singles’ Day to promote iPhones. [caption id="attachment_119225" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: ParknShop [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119226" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Foodwise [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119227" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: SHEIN[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119228" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Giordano [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119229" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Olympian City [/caption]   In Taiwan, major e-commerce sites participated in Singles’ Day:

• On ET Mall, consumers could purchase DeMon masks for only NT$1 ($0.04).
• Shoppers could enjoy 37% off Xiaomi smart watches on PayEasy.
• On ihergo, consumers could access 20% discounts on seafood products.

Ruten, an auction website, and personal care brand Women 510 also held Singles’ Day promotions:

• On Ruten, shoppers could receive coupons worth NT$60 ($2).
• Women 510 offered customers free hand cream for orders above NT$3,500 ($123).

[caption id="attachment_119230" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: ET Mall [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119231" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Women 510 [/caption]   India Indian online beauty platform Nykka and cross-border e-commerce platform Banggood had several offers for Singles’ Day.

• On Nykka, customers could enjoy up to 50% off Maybelline products and receive further 11% discounts for orders over ₹1,100 ($14.80).
• Banggood offered discounts of up to 80% on selected products.

Some international retailers and brands also had Singles’ Day promotions on their e-commerce platforms in India, such as British sports nutrition retailer Myprotein, which offered 28% off orders over ₹6,000 ($80.90). However, it is noteworthy that major e-commerce platforms such as Amazon India, Flipkart and Snapdeal did not offer promotions on Singles’ Day, as the event fell the week before the Indian festival of Diwali—an important occasion when Indian customers shop for gifts, clothing, jewelry and high-ticket items such as large home appliances, for themselves and others. Many of the promotions were therefore centered around Diwali. [caption id="attachment_119232" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Puma [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119233" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Myprotein [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119234" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Banggood [/caption]   Southeast Asia A number of shopping websites in Southeast Asia launched Singles’ Day promotions:

• Elevenia offered up to 29% discounts on selected food products in Indonesia.
• Tiki.vn offered 19% off Samsung phones in Vietnam.
• Lazada announced that more than 350,000 brands and merchants from Indonesia, Malasiya, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam participated in its Singles’ Day sale.
• Shopee offered 20% dicsounts for customers in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries.

[caption id="attachment_119235" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Elevenia [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119236" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: TiKi.vn [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119237" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Lazada[/caption]   The UAE Amazon ran Singles’ Day promotions in the UAE during November 10–12, offering various discounts in different categories—for example, up to 30% off selected cell phones. Noon, the Middle East’s homegrown online marketplace, also held promotion activities for Singles’ Day, offering up to 70% discounts in all categories. [caption id="attachment_119238" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Amazon.ae[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_119239" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Noon[/caption]  

What We Think

Although Singles’ Day originated as an online-only holiday in China—which remains the epicenter of the festival—its presence is expanding beyond Asia into Western countries. Implications for Brands/Retailers

• Since the Singles’ Day shopping festival in China is about consumers finding the best deal, international brands and retailers should look to encourage spending by offering attractive deals during the event.
• Brands and retailers outside of China can also learn from Chinese e-commerce platforms in how they run Singles’ Day promotions, which were not only about discounts: Some popular tactics this year included new product launches, New Retail strategies and engaging marketing initiatives, which we will cover in separate reports next week.
• In some countries, a focus on the specific date of 11.11 is hindered by national commemorations. Should Singles’ Day continue to expand beyond a one-day event, it will be easier for retailers in some markets to participate.
• Traditionally, it would have been considered highly disadvantageous for retailers to run heavy promotions through the holiday peak, and we would have urged restraint by retailers. However, we think the ship of price integrity has now firmly sailed. A number of factors have contributed to an extended promotional period during this holiday season: the multiyear expansion of Black Friday in the US; the introduction and then expansion of Black Friday in countries such as Germany and the UK; and 2020’s elongated sales period—including the new 10.10 festival, an October Amazon Prime Day and month-long Black Friday promotions—which was cultivated by retailers to smooth demand peaks. Singles’ Day is one further contributor—albeit a minor contributor in many markets. In 2021, retailers must plan early for a highly promotional end-of-year peak, building those expectations into their plans for buying, marketing and pricing.