The world’s biggest shopping day is on its way, and we’re not talking Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Amazon Prime Day. Nope, it’s all about China’s Singles Day, and if you’ve not heard about it, or you have, but you’re not sure of the details, strap in while we take on you a discover-all journey of e-commerce’s biggest secret of the year. 

It’ll be lonely this Christmas

Ahead of the biggest lovey-dovey season of the year, China feels that it’s first and foremost important to love oneself. Entitled Singles Day, but applicable to everyone regardless of their Facebook relationship status, everyone is encouraged to treat themselves to a gift. Sounds great to us.

But the loneliest number is…

n’t number one. With a record-breaking $25 billion spent on Singles Day last year, the retail event was nearly four times larger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It was so big that only five other countries sold more online in the whole year than China did on Singles Day. Celebrities, including Nicole Kidman, Pharrell Williams and Maria Sharapova glittered 2017’s event, which was reportedly started back in the ’90s by a group of university students proud to be single.

Single in 2018

This year, like every year, Singles Day is taking place on 11 November and is hoped to be bigger than ever before. Returning celebrations include a New Years Eve-esque television countdown (attracting an audience of 150-200 million) product launches, demonstrations and giveaways. International expansion is also expected to continue, with Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia climbing in on the action.

For those selling in China

If your eCommerce business incorporates China, Singles Day is a day not to be missed. Brands often spend six to eight months planning their Singles Day strategies, but if you’ve missed that boat, here’s some last minute prep you can still do:

1. Ensure your website is mobile-optimised

90% of transactions were completed via mobile last year, making your mobile-compatibility crucial to Singles Day success.

2. Stay on top of your inventory

Sales will be large and fast, making additional stock necessary and good inventory management critical. If you’ve not yet invested in inventory management software, speak to us about a free 7-day trial so that you can avoid overselling or selling out.

3. Shout about it

In the run-up to November 11th, drum up excitement by letting your customers know that you’re taking part and giving them a sneak-peak of what to expect.

4. Ensure you’re efficient

Take the next few weeks to streamline your sales processes. Fine-tune your listings, orders, invoicing and shipping to ensure maximum customer happiness and positive reviews. Speak to us about how we can help with bulk listing, order management and shipping and accounting software integration to make it easier.

5. Don’t neglect other countries

It might be a Chinese celebration, but we all deserve a little gift from me to me sometimes.

6. Don’t neglect yourself

Make sure that you leave some time for your own Singles Day indulgence too – you deserve it.

As the Chinese saying goes: “If you cannot be with someone you like, you can at least be with something you like.”

About Expandly

Expandly is multichannel management software that is all about saving you time and effort.

From the moment you login in the morning to the moment you ship your orders, Expandly aims to reduce your workload. It is simple, easy to use and focussed on helping small eCommerce businesses go from home-office or unit to warehouse and beyond.

Find out more about Expandly Multichannel Management software