It’s bigger than Black Friday. It’s bigger than Cyber Monday. In fact, at over $30.8 billion USD, sales during Double 11 are more than double the amount spent on those two days combined. Here’s what you need to know to take advantage of Double 11.
What, exactly, is Double 11?
Double 11 is Asia’s favourite shopping holiday. It’s the largest online shopping event on the Asian calendar and it centres around November 11 each year. Imagine the fervour of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and multiply it twenty times. The Asian consumer expects deals from brands around this time and is ready to spend. Double 11 campaign have expanded beyond the November 11 date and it’s now common for brands to offer Double 11 deals throughout the week or even the entire month. The occasion may have started in China, but Double 11 is now enthusiastically celebrated by customers of East Asian origins all over the world.
“Double 11” started off as “Singles’ Day”, celebrated only on November 11 as an anti-Valentine’s Day (think ‘11.11’, as a representation of November 11, with the ones representing singles). It has since, however, turned into a global shopping phenomenon celebrated throughout the month of November. At first, deals centred on singles-related products (discounts on boyfriend pillows and single airplane tickets, for example) but the occasion has since expanded to include sales on every possible service and product. North American brands are starting to catch on; last year, L’Occitaine, Ralph Lauren, Barney’s, and a host of other brands offered Singles’ Day sales.
Yes, Double 11 centres around the same day as Remembrance Day. Here’s what to do about it.
Employing different messages for in-language and English-language media is key. We recommend promoting ‘Singles’ Day’ offers heavily in in-language media, and communicating the offers in English-language media as ‘November’ or ‘Fall’ offers.
How can brands take advantage of Singles’ Day?
Offers are the norm. Singles’ Day is less about releasing new products, and more about promoting existing products at discounts. At this time of the year, Asian consumers are willing to spend but expect the offers to be significant. Put out promo codes, deals, and sales; approach Singles’ Day as you would Black Friday. Leverage market-appropriate influencers. For the Vancouver or Toronto markets, that means connecting with WeChat users that have large, engaged follower bases to get the word out about promotions.
Put Singles’ Day on your marketing calendar and make it a recurring event.
The start of November is traditionally a slow time, with back-to-school sales long over and Christmas just barely on the minds of the more-organised shoppers. Singles’ Day gives your brand a reason to engage its customer base, acquire new fans, and of course, increase sales. And those are all good reasons to celebrate!
