Singles’ Day, held in China each year on November 11^th, is the largest single-day shopping event in the world. Also known as Bachelors’ Day, it outperformed Black Friday spending by nearly four times in 2018.

Alibaba, China’s largest ecommerce platform (and one of the primary architects behind Singles’ Day’s status as a retail event) reported sales exceeding $38 billion this year. This is a reported increase of 26% from 2018, although co-founder Jack Ma says it still fell short of their expectations.

Outside of China, however, Singles’ Day is barely a blip on the radar. Few consumers in America are aware of it, and those that have, reported to Bizrate Insights that it made little impact on their purchase behavior. In a recent survey of over 4600 shoppers in the United States, only 8% of respondents were aware of Singles’ Day.

Have you ever heard of Singles’ Day?

Have you ever heard of Singles’ Day? Bizrate Insights flash survey, November 2019. 4617 respondents.

Of those shoppers who had heard of it, just 10% reported that they made a purchase inspired by a Singles’ Day sale or event.[1]

Despite the fact that Singles’ Day has gained little traction stateside, it has the potential to be a huge opportunity for retailers. Of the consumers who did report making a purchase, 44% spent over $100.

Singles’ Day Spending

How much did you spend on Singles’ Day? Bizrate Insights flash survey, November 2019. 34 total respondents.

Fashion brands should especially take note – over half of all buyers (51%) reported that they purchased clothing and accessories. Beauty supplies (39.39%) and home goods (33.33%) were also popular categories.

Despite the fact that Single’s Day has only been promoted as a shopping event for about a decade, the popularity of Singles’ Day in China shows that consumers are more than willing to embrace new retail-centric holidays. With the majority of holiday shopping focused around buying gifts for others, an event like Singles’ Day, which focuses on self-gifting, could present a strong opportunity for U.S. retailers in the coming years.

[1] Did you make a purchase this Singles’ Day? Bizrate Insights flash survey, November 2019. 370 respondents.

[2] What type of item(s) did you purchase on Singles’ Day? Bizrate Insights flash survey, November 2019. 33 total respondents.