Singles’ Day, or 11/11, has grown from a quirky celebration in China to the world’s biggest online shopping event. In 2024 alone, it generated 1.44 trillion yuan (roughly US$203.6 billion) in transactions across major platforms, a 27% year-on-year rise, according to Infobip. Compare this to the estimated US$25 billion of retail sales on Prime Day, or the estimated US$75 billion for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. For 2025, Singles’ Day has expanded into a five-week campaign, highlighting its shift from a flash sale into a season-long retail opportunity.
For online retailers targeting Asian markets, preparation can no longer be last-minute. To compete effectively in this high-stakes shopping period, you need a plan that balances creativity, cultural fluency, and platform-readiness.
Singles’ Day began at Nanjing University in the 1990s, with four number ones (11/11) symbolising single life. It became a commercial juggernaut when Alibaba turned it into a national shopping event in 2009. It now surpasses Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined in scale, intent, and reach.
While Western events focus on gifting, Singles’ Day is rooted in self-gifting. This distinction changes how shoppers behave and what messages resonate. In 2025, the global nature of Singles’ Day is clearer than ever, with platforms like JD.com reporting a 20% increase in active buyers and Alibaba noting record-breaking participation.
Today’s Singles’ Day buyer is:
This is not a one-size-fits-all audience. In China, the purchasing journey is often driven by livestreams, KOLs (key opinion leaders), and loyalty ecosystems tied to platforms like Taobao and Tmall. Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, buyers rely more on mobile-first marketplaces, super apps, and flash deal alerts shared via messaging platforms.
In both cases, expectations are high. Consumers want to feel in control of their journey. They expect checkout in their language, in their local currency, and using the payment method they prefer. They also expect real-time updates, fast delivery, and access to social proof, from ratings to influencer reviews.
The "treat yourself" mentality is growing, especially among Gen Z and urban millennials. Singles’ Day is becoming less about filling a cart with cheap goods and more about indulging smartly. That might mean a luxury skincare set at 11% off, a mid-tier smartphone upgrade, or a seasonal subscription they wouldn't usually buy.
While China leads the market, Southeast Asia is rising fast. Shoppers in Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand are leaning into the 11/11 wave, contributing to the region's ecommerce growth across a combined GDP of US$3 trillion.
For retailers, the key is to meet these shoppers where they are with the right mix of relevance, convenience, and respect for how they like to browse and buy.
Relying solely on deep discounts can damage margins. A smarter approach blends urgency, symbolism, and brand storytelling to drive action without excessive markdowns. Below are tested marketing campaigns you can use to make 11/11 work harder for your business:
|
Strategy |
Description |
Why It Works |
|
Themed bundles |
Create packages of related products (e.g. '11-item set', '1-for-1' deals) |
Increases perceived value, raises average order value, encourages multi-item purchases |
|
Flash deals & stock limits |
Offer short-duration discounts or limited quantities to build urgency |
Taps into FOMO and encourages faster checkout behaviour |
|
Symbolic pricing |
Use "11" as a design principle: 11% off, £11, £111 thresholds |
Reinforces the 11/11 theme and creates mental anchors that feel festive but structured |
|
Gamified discounts |
Require users to complete a task (spin wheel, share, quiz) to earn a deal |
Makes the purchase feel earned and enjoyable, while creating engagement loops |
|
Tiered rewards |
Offer better perks for larger orders (e.g. free gift at $50, exclusive offer at $100) |
Incentivises customers to spend more to unlock rewards |
|
Early-bird incentives |
Reward early engagement with exclusive access or additional perks |
Builds momentum and smooths out operational peaks by spreading demand |
|
Targeted segmentation |
Personalise discounts based on user behaviour or segments |
Reduces margin erosion by focusing offers on the most likely converters |
|
Mystery offers |
Use sealed discounts or surprise bundles revealed after purchase |
Encourages impulse buying and creates buzz |
|
Multi-buy deals |
Offer discounts for buying multiples of the same item |
Useful for essentials, accessories, or consumables; drives volume |
|
Free shipping |
Do not charge for the shipping and delivery |
This is the perennial ecommerce sales tactic that works year round because it removes one of the main objections to buying online. |
Singles’ Day 2025 is about more than cutting prices. Use tactics like these to create layered offers that reflect your brand, reward your customers, and support your commercial goals.
Waiting until the last week of October puts you behind. The most effective marketers treat Singles’ Day like a season and start warming up audiences weeks in advance. Early exposure not only increases awareness but also helps shape intent. Think of it as nurturing a buying mindset, not just promoting a discount.
Use this phase to:
Brands doing this well don’t just sell products, they build anticipation. A teaser video, a mystery offer preview, or a "first to know" email can be enough to turn browsers into planners. This lead-in also allows you to test messaging and offers, refine ad targeting, and gauge demand signals ahead of peak days.
Early engagement is one of the best predictors of Singles’ Day performance. And for markets like Southeast Asia, where mobile open rates are high and impulse buying is common, getting in early often means getting the sale.
Gamification has become a core feature of how consumers in Asia engage with Singles’ Day. It blends entertainment with utility, offering shoppers a sense of discovery, competition, and reward all in service of higher engagement and stronger conversions.
Gamified mechanics that increase engagement and AOV:
Shoppers want to feel part of something. That could mean logging in daily to reveal a new reward, earning a badge for completing a set of challenges, or entering a lucky draw tied to a purchase. Done right, these mechanics fuel repeat visits and turn casual interest into habit.
In China, livestreams are the centrepiece of this strategy. In 2024, over 60 million hours of livestream shopping were viewed during Singles’ Day. Southeast Asian platforms are quickly catching up as livestream infrastructure improves and local creators gain commercial traction.
Whether it's a mini-game, an influencer-hosted Q&A, or a limited-edition drop previewed via livestream, interactive experiences should sit alongside traditional deals. They enrich the event, stretch session time, and create deeper connection between your brand and its audience.
To handle Singles' Day traffic:
For returning users, reward loyalty with VIP pricing or early access. Use checkout to cross-sell or upsell based on purchase behaviour, and consider post-checkout nudges to re-engage buyers through referral offers or limited re-purchase discounts.
On platforms like Tmall, Shopee, or Lazada:
In 2024, over 300,000 brands participated in Singles' Day, with 45 of them surpassing 1 billion yuan (US$139M) each. This level of competition underscores the importance of well-optimised listings.
Top performers typically combined sharp visual storytelling, keyword alignment with platform search trends, and precise inventory control to give them greater visibility, shopper confidence, and ultimately, a larger share of consumer spend.
A strong Singles’ Day campaign doesn't live in just one channel. Buyers interact with your brand across multiple platforms and devices. An omnichannel strategy makes sure those touchpoints work together, not against each other.
Create a seamless experience across all touchpoints:
Effective omnichannel execution can feel invisible to the user, but it creates a sense of flow that reduces friction, reinforces urgency, and makes it easier for someone to buy, no matter where they start or return to.
After 11 November, don’t go quiet. Singles’ Day is just the start of a longer relationship. Brands that stay visible after the sale build trust, create habits, and increase the likelihood of repeat purchases before year-end.
Here’s how to turn your 11/11 shoppers into long-term customers:
Many shoppers who buy on Singles’ Day don’t need to be convinced to buy again. They just need a reason, a reminder, and a friction-free path back. Post-event nurturing turns a high-traffic moment into a high-value customer lifecycle.
Retailers entering or scaling in Asia must localise:
Antom supports over 250 local payment methods and provides multi-currency settlement, helping you offer a native checkout experience across Asia.