Singles Day generates $236 billion in sales annually in China, dwarfing Black Friday's $12.5 billion in the US, according to Chris Carl, head of marketing and commercial strategy for the US with AliExpress. Yet, he said only 20% of US consumers currently know about the November 11th shopping event, creating a significant opportunity for brands willing to experiment early.

"The brands that jumped on [Cyber Monday] early, they owned it, and the ones that waited for it to feel safe or worth it or big enough, they had to catch up," said Carl on the "Reimagining Retail" podcast. "11/11's at a similar inflection point right now."

Singles Day began as a prank at a Chinese university in 1993, when students created an "anti-Valentine's Day" to celebrate being single. Alibaba transformed it into a shopping holiday in 2009, and it has since become the world's largest retail event, complete with Taylor Swift performing at the 2019 Singles Day Gala.

What separates Singles Day from US shopping events

The scale and structure of Singles Day reflects deeper differences in how Chinese and US consumers approach ecommerce, Carl explained.

Infrastructure drives engagement: China's mobile-first ecommerce ecosystem enables seamless shopping through super apps like WeChat and Alipay, which combine social media, payments, and services in single platforms. "It's as if you had WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Apple Pay, Uber, Lyft, everything in one app," Carl said. This infrastructure makes instant, social purchasing frictionless during Singles Day.

Ecommerce penetration amplifies impact: Ecommerce represents about 50% of all retail sales in China compared to just over 17% in the US, according to EMARKETER forecasts. This higher baseline means shopping holidays have dramatically larger reach in Chinese markets.

Cultural momentum creates FOMO: Singles Day has evolved into a 17-year cultural phenomenon with what Carl described as "hun yao,” a Chinese term meaning "happily crowded, lively energy." Last year's event spanned five weeks, featured 300,000 brands on Alibaba alone, and incorporated countdown clocks, spin-to-win mechanisms, and reward-based games, said Carl.

The US timing advantage: Self-gifting before holiday stress

Singles Day's position in the US calendar, after early October sales but before Black Friday, creates a unique opportunity, our analyst Sky Canaves noted.

While US consumers tend to approach online shopping transactionally, visiting a preferred site, making a purchase, and leaving, major events capture attention and encourage discovery across multiple platforms and channels.

"It's an opportunity for US consumers, especially younger ones, to get engaged as they might be looking to treat themselves during the holidays," said Canaves. "Really looking to celebrate themselves and take care of themselves at a time when they're also gearing up for what can be a stressful experience."

The self-gifting angle aligns with Singles Day's origins while addressing a gap in the US shopping calendar. Students face finals, consumers prepare for holiday travel and family obligations, and the timing allows for personal indulgence before gift-buying obligations intensify.

How US brands should approach Singles Day

Carl recommended brands experiment immediately rather than wait for the event to mature.

• Start simple: "Pick a product or a category or just find an angle that fits the self-gifting narrative," Carl said. "Build an engagement mechanism, a simple one, something like a shake and win where it's very intuitive and easy for people to catch on."
• Partner strategically: Collaborate with brands customers already love to drive earned media and create buzz around activations.
• Accept imperfection: "I don't think it needs to be perfect," Carl said. "Now is the time to put a flag in the ground and capitalize on the moment, and it'll pay off in the future."

Cyber Monday launched with a press release in 2005 after the National Retail Federation noticed post-Black Friday shopping patterns. Singles Day presents a similar inflection point for US brands willing to establish early presence in what could become a major shopping moment.

Listen to the full episode