The Singles’ Day shopping period ended over the weekend after weeks of retail and tech innovations.

Here’s a directory to Alizila’s reporting over the last month exploring the latest and greatest 11.11-related news and insights:

Explore the history of 11.11 and learn some Alibaba trivia

The biggest social media influencers you’ve never heard of

Take a 1 minute tour of Alibaba’s 11.11-decorated campus

How generative AI is changing the game for retailers

In the studio with Alizila’s managing editor and experts

The 11.11 vacation offers consumers are snapping up

Tmall and Taobao Group’s GMV growth during 11.11

“People are looking for deals in 2023,” said China retail expert Ashley Dudarenok when we interviewed her last week.

Alibaba’s e-commerce marketplaces delivered.

Taobao and Tmall’s direct discount venue offering a 15% price reduction recorded 210 million orders, while the venue featuring value-for-money products from manufacturers generated nearly 90 million orders.

Read the full story now

In a barometer of consumer sentiment this year, China’s State Post Bureau said on Sunday that express delivery volume hit a record high during the festival.

Between Nov. 1 to Nov. 11, parcel volume swelled to 5.26 billion packages, 23.22% higher than a year earlier. On Saturday, 639 million parcels whizzed around China, up 15.76% year-on-year. Taobao and Tmall ran its campaign from Oct. 24 to Nov. 11.

Taobao And Tmall’s signature 11.11 Countdown Gala added to the shopping festival’s entertainment value.

Alibaba Cloud has made a slew of AI tools available to merchants during the shopping festival that can help them become more efficient.

Even as consumers are in a more cautious mood, the rise of Generative AI has made it possible for merchants to cut costs, said a report from consultancy Bain.

Taobao and Tmall’s merchants used the AI tools over 1.5 billion times during the run-up to 11.11 and the campaign itself.

Discover how AI is changing 11.11 this year

Taobao and Tmall said that as of 00:00 am China Standard Time (CST) on Nov. 11, 38 merchant-run livestreaming channels generated over RMB100 million in GMV each, accounting for over 60% of the channels with over RMB100 million in GMV.

Four hundred fifty-one merchant-operated channels recorded over RMB10 million GMV each during the campaign period.

Explore the data

As of 00:00 am China Standard Time (CST) on Nov. 11, 402 brands surpassed RMB100 million ($13.72 million) in GMV each, while 38,000 brands more than doubled their GMV year-on-year.

More details here

Taobao and Tmall Group said gross merchandise value (GMV), orders and participating merchants grew during its 2023 11.11 campaign year-on-year.

“Taobao and Tmall’s solid performance reflects the success of our user-first strategy, which is focused on competitive pricing, diverse content offerings, and AI-driven technologies that further optimized consumer and merchant experiences during the campaign,” said Taobao and Tmall Group’s Chief Executive Officer Trudy Dai.

Read the full breakdown of this year’s 11.11 now

At Alibaba Group’s Xixi campus, we’re gearing up with a parade and attractions to celebrate this year’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival.

Take a peek at how the campus is decorated for 11.11

Get your party shoes on! Daraz, South Asia’s leading e-commerce platform, has planned an exciting lineup of livestream events in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to build anticipation for Daraz 11.11, the biggest sale of the year.

In Bangladesh, influencers and celebrities engage in games and participate in dance challenges, all while sharing exclusive promotions and deals. This creates a fun and interactive shopping experience for shoppers.
 
Watch livestreams of the events or take a deep dive into livestreaming on Daraz

602 industrial clusters on Taobao achieved over RMB100 million ($13.7 million) in sales between 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 24 and 00:00 on Nov. 10.

An industrial cluster is a group of merchants who sell products for industrial purposes, from tools to tractors.

Alizila’s managing editor Alison Tudor-Ackroyd breaks down the most important tech updates and consumer trends we’ve seen during 11.11 so far.

She is joined by Ashley Dudarenok, founder and CEO of digital consultancy ChoZan and marketing agency Alarice, and Luica Mak, Director of Corporate Affairs, Alibaba Cloud.

Watch their conversation now

Taobao and Tmall’s AI tools were used more than 1.5 billion times by merchants between 00:00 on Oct. 1 and midnight on Nov. 6.
 
These tools range include a feature that will auto-generate product descriptions in seven different styles, and another that generates product images in as quick as 30 seconds.

Read more about these AI features

Nearly half (45%) of shoppers put value as the main reason for participating in Singles Day sales this year, according to a survey released this week by consultancy Bain & Co.
 
“At one level, shoppers are concentrating spending on necessities… yet at the same time, they are also still seeking small indulgences in areas such as dining out and travel,” the report noted.
 
This 11.11, 80 million products on Alibaba platforms are at their lowest prices of the year.
 
What’s more, retailers are creating more engaging content this 11.11 and employing AI to improve user experiences.

Get your plane tickets because the party is heading to Madrid next.

As part of its international series of activations, AliExpress will host a concert featuring Spanish pop duo Funzo & Baby Loud, Dominican musician Henry Mendez and other stars.
 
The event, which takes place the evening of Nov. 10 by Central European Time (CET), will be livestreamed exclusively on AliExpress (just in case you can’t make it in person).

 A global party is getting started, as cross-border marketplace AliExpress kicks off its 11.11 celebrations around the world.

In the U.S., American rapper Swae Lee will appear at the AliExpress’ 11.11 VIP launch event in New York on Nov. 8.
 
He will launch a personally curated collection of products from the platform for 11.11 and take part in a meet-and-greet with fans.
 
Lee is not the first American celebrity to share their favorite AliExpress product lists.
 
Earlier this year, actor Tiffany Haddish toured Los Angeles to bring her top products to consumers.

This 11.11 will be the fastest to date for AliExpress users, the platform shared just now in its global launch release.
 
What does that mean for consumers? For one, five-working-day delivery for cross-border orders on AliExpress’ Choice program for shoppers in the UK, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium.
 
It also means consumers in the US will receive their orders within three to seven days, and users in Mexico will enjoy five-day delivery on a selection of items.
 
Delivery times will be faster for Middle Eastern customers as well, with first-time users in Gulf Cooperation Council countries entitled to free shipping.
 
Find more international retail news here

Grab your popcorn and dim the lights.
 
The number of people watching short videos on Taobao has increased by 142% year-on-year and total duration of  viewing has shot up by 439% between 00:00 a.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 24 and midnight on Nov. 6.

This is CurrentBody’s fifth 11.11, and while big discounts are not part of the luxury beauty brand’s strategy, it wanted to offer something meaningful for consumers during the shopping festival.

So, it decided to give away a radio frequency device with its 4-in-1 mask to Tmall Global customers.

“Our offer looks and feels like added value rather than a huge discount in price. So, massive added-value for the customer in a slightly different way that also introduces them to another CurrentBody product,” brand CEO Laurence Newman told Alizila.

Read more highlights from our conversation with CurrentBody’s founder

More data from the first day of 11.11 sales is emerging, and it paints a powerful picture of the importance of consumer loyalty.
 
Between 00:00 on Oct. 31 and midnight on Nov. 1, over 100 brands reported transaction value surpassing RMB100 million ($13.7 million) attributable to members of their brand loyalty programs.
 
This is the first time in Alibaba’s 11.11 history that this many brands have reached this milestone.

Listen to our podcast episode covering this topic

Tmall and Taobao have debuted 10 free AI-powered features for merchants as well as a generative AI chatbot named Wenwen to answer users’ queries.

Using the tools, merchants can generate product images using AI within 30 seconds and create item descriptions with an automated copywriter feature.

On the consumer end, Wenwen is helping people parse through all the 11.11 sale options and find the best deals. What’s not to love!

Read the full story now

Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (they’ve got Lazada, AliExpress, Alibaba.com, Trendyol and more under them) is piloting Aidge its first artificial intelligence-powered suite of application programming interfaces.

That’s great, but what does it do? The LLM, named Aidge, will help boost conversion rates and cut costs for merchants.

Read Alizila’s report on the launch for more

Do you know Luo Yonghao? The 10 million people who tuned into his 11.11 livestream auctioning off exclusive use of a cruise ship for five days certainly do.

Luo is one of a growing band of influencers making it big in Chinese e-commerce. They command followings in the millions and can transform a brand’s fortunes overnight.

Learn how they are turbocharging sales this 11.11

Some clothing brands are outperforming their 11.11 results from last year.
 
Sales for 1,143 apparel brands in the first hour of 11.11 sales on the evening of Oct. 31 exceeded that of the whole day last year.
 
Over 230 brands recorded a more than doubling of sales year-on-year for the first hour of 11.11 sales starting 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 31.

Find more retail sector updates here

In the first 10 minutes of 11.11 sales, which started at 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 31, beauty brands like L’Oréal, Lancôme and Estée Lauder each made over RMB100 million ($13.7 million) in sales on Tmall.
 
Within the first hour of the platform’s 11.11 sales, 25 beauty brands managed to exceed RMB100 million in sales.

Household names in the luxury sphere are feeling the 11.11 spirit.
 
In the first hour of 11.11 sales, which kicked off at 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 31, the number of shoppers who purchased on Tmall Luxury Pavilion was 1.5 times that of the same period last year.
 
Sales for more than 20 luxury brands, including Burberry, Gucci and Montblanc, during that first hour exceeded their sales for the entire day on Oct. 31 last year.

3D printing equipment is another niche product category that experienced an influx of sales on the first night of 11.11 sales.
 
During the first hour of sales on Tmall, which started at 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 31, 3D printers and their related accessories saw a 400% increase in transaction volume year-on-year.

Explore more retail trends in China

It’s always interesting to see the niche interests that capture consumers’ imaginations during 11.11.
 
This year, that includes cameras.

During the first hour of Tmall’s Double 11 sales from 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 31, the transaction volume of digital mirrorless cameras nearly doubled compared with the same time last year.

Cyclists in China took advantage of 11.11 sales this year to stock up on equipment.
 
Sales of road bikes jumped 300% during the first hour of 11.11 sales, which started at 8 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 31. To complete the look, sales of cycling glasses and goggles also increased by 210% and helmets rose by 180% over the same period.
 
These aren’t for your average jaunt around the neighborhood. To give these two-wheeled speedsters an extra edge, bicycle computer sales (yes that’s a real thing) also ticked up by 230% year-on-year during the first hour of sales on Tmall.

The 2023 11.11 Global Shopping Festival on AliExpress will start at 8:00 a.m. Greenwhich Mean Time (GMT) on Nov. 8 with three days of early bird specials.

Sales on a wider selection of products, including millions of items discounted by up to 50%, will kick off at 8:00 a.m. GMT on Nov. 11 and run until 7:59 a.m. GMT on Nov. 18.

For the first time during 11.11 sales, customers in the United Kingdom will be able to enjoy free returns on one item of each order within 15 days of receiving their purchase.

Products bought from the platform’s Choice channel marked with a ‘5-Day Delivery’ label will also be eligible for delivery within five days as part of a service powered by AliExpress’ partnership with Cainiao.

This year’s 11.11 shopping festival also brings with it steeper discounts, according to AliExpress. Shoppers in the U.K. will save £3 ($3.65) for every £15 spent to a maximum of £12 per order.

This is the first time that Tmall has offered direct discounts for 11.11, according to the company. Over 80 million items are at their lowest price of the year.

At 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 31, Double 11 sales entered full swing, ending the pre-sale period.
 
155 brands sold over RMB100 million ($13.6 million) worth of products on Oct. 31 full day, including Apple, Xiaomi, Nike and Fila.
 
The transaction volume of 71,900 brands in the first hour of sales that evening exceeded their transaction volume from the first 24 hours of sales on Oct. 31  last year.

For 11.11 this year, AliExpress is launching an exclusive space for influencers to test platform products and create content. Welcome to AliHouse!
 
This is an actual house with rooms filled with the best and most unique products consumers can find on AliExpress, and its doors will open with a special event on Nov. 11 featuring Brazilian actress Fernanda Souza.
 
“People are interested in content that shows how products work, especially those innovative items that you can’t find anywhere else,” Briza Bueno, director of AliExpress in Brazil, said in a statement.
 
11.11 is just the beginning for AliHouse and it will be open for influencers for special activations over the next year.

Olá! Things are getting toasty on AliExpress’ Brazilian platform as the e-commerce site warms up for this year’s 11.11.
 
Every morning at 11.11 a.m. Brasilia Standard Time during the first 10 days of November, AliExpress will release batches of products priced at R$11.11 ($2.2).
 
All in all, there will be R$10 million worth of discounts made available to Brazilian shoppers, as well as free shipping and delivery within 10 days on selected products.
 
What’s more, items in AliExpress’ Choice premium shopping category will have an additional 20% discount applied to them.

The logistics service has upgraded its pre-sale top-speed delivery to cover more than 300 cities in China, and to also cover even large items.
 
Well-known brands like Unilever have confirmed they will be using the service during 11.11 sales this year.
 
There’s something for everyone, and merchants are also leveraging Cainiao’s newly launched Smart Warehouse Delivery and Preferred Warehouse Delivery services to cut consumer wait times.

Top-ranking influencers in China command followings in the millions and can transform a brand’s fortunes overnight.

International retailers looking to crack the world’s second-largest economy should get to know the names of rising stars such as Luo and look beyond the mega-celebrities of their home markets, such as Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton.

Learn how livestreamers are fueling sales this 11.11

Cainiao is offering five-day delivery international express delivery to AliExpress consumers in the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and South Korea.
 
At the same time, the company is providing next-day delivery in Hong Kong and Macau and five-day delivery services in Singapore and Malaysia for Tmall Taobao World consumers.

Find more logistics news updates here

Winter is coming and shoppers are stocking up on heating products.
 
Transactions of electric heating cups increases by 800% year-on-year in the first hour of pre-sales on Tuesday, while water-heated blanket sales increased by 600% and blanket warmer machine sales increased by 400%.

Ready, set, game.
 
E-sports fans are flocking to the category this year and sales of video game equipment on Tmall increased by 150% year-on-year in the first hour of 11.11 pre-sales, which started at 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 24.

In the first hour during the first day of 11.11 pre-sales, 337 clothing brands sold more than during the first four hours of pre-sales last year. Underwear brands like Victoria’s Secret recorded a more than doubling in sales during this first hour.
 
The sales of more than 100 clothing brands on their brand-owned livestream channels increased more than 500% year-on-year over the first four hours of 11.11 pre-sales.
 
All in all, you can expect more than 10 million new clothing products to be sold on Tmall during 11.11 this year. These range from limited editions to Tmall exclusives.

Pet owners flocked to Taobao and Tmall to place pre-sale orders on the first day of 11.11 this year. Within 48 minutes, pre-sales in this category outpaced those from the entire first day of pre-sales last year.
 
Within four hours of pre-sales launching at 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Oct. 24, six pet brands on the platform topped RMB 10 million ($1.4 million) each in pre-sale transaction value.
 
Another 81 merchants in this category reported pre-sale transaction value above RMB 1 million in this same time frame.

During the 11.11 shopping period in 2018, delivery orders handled by Cainiao Smart Logistics Network topped 1 billion for the first time. Go team!

Explore this highlight and other milestones over the years in our timeline.

Another year, another milestone. 2016 was when incredibly immersive digital experiences for 11.11 consumers began taking off.

For instance, Alibaba bridged online and offline to create a VR game called Catch the Tmall Cat. Millions of app users visited 30,000 participating stores to “catch” the mascot and claim prizes.

Explore the full timeline here or continue scrolling.

Continuing along the timeline, our next stop is 2015.

This is the year 11.11 set NINE Guinness World Records for selling the most mobile phones, nuts, watches, milk, TVs, apples and cars by a single platform in one day.

A bit random, but makes a great trivia question!

What’s the next stop on our timeline journey?

Fast forward three years from its founding, and by 2012, 11.11 has set a new global record for the largest value of goods purchased within 24 hours online.

Logistics teams like the one above are instrumental in this effort.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane with Alizila’s Double 11 timeline.

It all started in 2009, when 27 merchants participated in a a promotional event organized by Alibaba to buoy sales during an otherwise quiet period for retailers.

The Taobao team celebrated a major milestone that year when they reached RMB50 million ($8 million at the time) in GMV during the event.

Little did they know just how many zeroes would be added to 11.11 GMVs in the years to come.

Crack open the coconuts and grab your beach towels, because holiday trips are in the air.

On the first day of 11.11 sales, the transaction value of travel products increased by more than 120% year-on-year.
 
The aquamarine waters and sandy coasts of tropical islands are proving a popular choice and people aren’t skimping either.

Shoppers bought nearly RMB 100 million ($13.7 million) worth of four-night packages at top-rated hotels in the Maldives chain of islands yesterday.  

Chinese consumers have got the travel bug, early data from travel platform Fliggy shows.

The transaction volume of Fliggy products topped RMB 1 billion ($136 million) within 13 minutes of sales starting at 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST).

This is significantly higher than all sales on the travel platform during the first day of 11.11 last year.

Initial performance figures are starting to trickle in after pre-sales officially kicked off at 8:00 pm China Standard Time (CST) on Tuesday.

Within one hour, turnover for over 1,300 brands jumped more than 200% year-over-year, and turnover for nearly 700 brands leapt over 500% year-on-year, said Taobao and Tmall Group.

Among the glitterati of the global travel industry participating in 2023’s 11.11 are Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Disney and Universal Studios, Alizila reported today.

The 11.11 campaign for Alibaba’s online travel platform Fliggy  kicked off thirty minutes ago, and there’s something for everyone.

Budget hotels participating in the promotion could cost as little as RMB100 ($13.68) a night, while Hong Kong Disneyland Explorers Lodge are half-price during the sales period.  

“We are delighted that Taobao PLUS has already garnered the support of a large number of merchants on our platform, which reflects their recognition of our move and enables us to extend the coverage of free shipping to more product categories,” said Jianqiu Ye (pictured), General Manager of Tmall Taobao World, in a statement.

Look sharp, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia shoppers.

A new retail experience from Taobao is headed your way. The platform launched its Taobao PLUS cross-border shopping service brand today to provide users a smorgasbord of upgraded services.

You name it, they’ve probably got it. We’re talking lower free shipping thresholds, expanded local return options and dedicated customer service.

Tmall Taobao World serves overseas Chinese consumers by making a version of the Taobao website available for shoppers in 14 countries outside Mainland China.

Buckle up, because 11.11 presales on Taobao and Tmall will begin at 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) today!

Shoppers can select items and put them in their carts in preparation for two checkout periods.

As the many avid readers of this blog already know, the first checkout opportunity runs from 8:00 p.m. CST on Oct. 31 until the end of the day on Nov. 3. The second one from 8:00 p.m. CST on Nov. 10 to the end of the day on Nov. 11.

Next up, we’ve got the rundown from shopping platform Taobao, and prepare yourselves because there will be THREE waves.
 
The first, Taobao Double 11 Pre-sale, will happen like this:
An event warm-up: from Oct. 29 at midnight China Standard Time (CST) to Oct. 31 at 7:59 p.m. CST
The official event: from Oct. 31 at 8:00 p.m. CST to Nov. 3 at 11:59 p.m. CST
 
Then there will be Taobao’s Good Price Festival, and just to keep you on your toes, there will only be the main event from Nov. 4 at midnight CST to Nov. 8 at 11:59 p.m. CST
 
Last but not least, Taobao will have its Carnival Day:
An event warm-up: from Nov. 9 at midnight CST to Nov. 10 at 7:59 p.m. CST
The official event: from Nov. 10 at 8:00 p.m. CST to Nov. 11 at 11:59 p.m. CST

Let’s go back to basics. What is 11.11.? Glad you asked – it’s the world’s largest shopping event.
 
Over the years, it has grown from a one-day event into a multiple-week bonanza celebrating brand innovation, consumer trends and sustainability along supply chains.
 
You’re here, so you probably already know about the main e-commerce platforms owned by Alibaba Group business units. But did you know that each of these sites has their own schedule for 11.11? We’ll be sharing the different timetables soon.