Singles’ Day began as an Alibaba promotion in 2009 and grew into a sprawling November shopping season across Chinese e-commerce platforms. November 11 supplied the memorable date; Alibaba’s campaign turned it into a major retail event.
What is Singles’ Day, and why is it on November 11?
Singles’ Day—also called Double 11 or 11.11—is a shopping festival centered on November 11. The date is commonly associated with being single, but the evidence here does not establish a definitive origin story for the informal observance. Alibaba’s 2015 description called its retail event the “Singles Day Sale” because it fell on that date.
The shopping event itself has a clear corporate starting point: Alibaba says it launched the festival in 2009 with 27 participating merchants, initially to raise awareness of online shopping. The date gave the promotion a simple identity that could be repeated each year.
How did a one-day promotion become a shopping season?
Alibaba established the event
Alibaba’s Taobao Mall, now known as Tmall, used November 11 for a coordinated sale. As consumers and merchants came to recognize the date, the promotion became a significant annual event for the company’s platforms.
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Other platforms and retailers joined
The event expanded beyond Alibaba to platforms including JD.com and Pinduoduo, and to platforms abroad, according to the Associated Press. The result is not one centrally managed sale: participating retailers set campaigns with different start and end dates.
Promotions spread across more days
Singles’ Day is no longer necessarily a one-day discount window. Alibaba’s 2024 campaign ran from October 14 through November 11. Bain & Company’s 2025 analysis says the 2024 promotional period expanded from 11 days to 28. A longer campaign changes what an annual total means: it can accumulate sales over many more days than the original November 11 event.
What do the reported sales figures actually measure?
Singles’ Day figures are not all the same kind of number. Some are company-reported platform results; others are third-party estimates that attempt to cover a broader set of platforms. They should not be treated as interchangeable or as audited totals for all Chinese retail.
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| Figure | Publisher and period | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| 27 participating merchants | Alibaba Group, describing the 2009 launch in 2024 | Merchants at the festival’s start, not a sales total. |
| RMB 1.14 trillion, up 2% | Syntun estimate for 2023, as reported by the Associated Press in 2024 | Estimated GMV across major e-commerce platforms; it is not Alibaba’s own figure. |
| RMB 1.442 trillion | Bain & Company analysis published in 2025, for 2024 | Bain’s estimated GMV for the promotional period. Bain also says average GMV per promotion day fell by half. |
| 589 brands above RMB 100 million in GMV; 45 above RMB 1 billion | Alibaba Group, 2024 campaign | Brand milestones on Taobao and Tmall, using Alibaba’s stated GMV basis—not a market-wide ranking. |
| Nearly 600 brands above RMB 100 million in sales | Alibaba Group, 2025; cutoff at midnight November 14 | A selected platform result, not a final cross-platform total. |
For its 2024 release, Alibaba defined GMV as paid orders on Taobao and Tmall, including applicable shipping charges. It said the figures were unaudited and subject to adjustment. The company’s 2024 and 2025 materials cover its own platforms, not a consolidated tally of all retailers.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThe distinction matters because Alibaba and JD.com stopped publishing final overall Singles’ Day sales totals after 2022, the Associated Press reported. For 2024, Alibaba described robust GMV growth and a record number of buyers; JD.com reported shopper growth and double-digit growth in transaction volume and orders. Those company-reported indicators use different measures, so they do not add up to a common audited market total.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What sells during the festival?
Alibaba’s 2024 platform data highlighted apparel, beauty, consumer electronics, appliances, furniture, sports and outdoor products, and collectible toys. The examples show how broad the event has become, but they are not a ranking of all Chinese retail. Alibaba said government subsidies and platform discounts contributed to performance in appliances and furniture.
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Consumer behavior is also more nuanced than a single appetite for bargains. In Associated Press coverage, Jacob Cooke, CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, said, “There’s a clear shift in consumer priorities towards spending on experiences, hobbies, and health.” That is an attributed industry observation, not a measured statistic about all shoppers.
Is Singles’ Day still growing?
A larger campaign-period estimate does not necessarily mean sales are accelerating each day. Bain’s 2025 analysis put 2024 GMV at RMB 1.442 trillion while saying the average GMV per promotional day fell by half as the campaign expanded from 11 to 28 days. Bain attributed the more mature growth environment to competition from other promotions, already-high consumer participation, and China’s economic slowdown; that is Bain’s analysis of the factors, not settled causal proof.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteAlibaba’s 2025 release reported selected platform milestones rather than a consolidated, market-wide GMV total. Tmall President Bo Liu said, “We achieved Tmall’s strongest 11.11 growth in GMV net of refunds in four years.” The qualification “net of refunds” is important: it is a platform-specific company statement, not a measure of all retailers’ sales.
How should Singles’ Day be compared with Black Friday?
A fair comparison needs to align the time period and what is being counted. Comparing a multi-week Singles’ Day campaign total with a one-day Black Friday figure can make the Chinese event appear larger simply because its measurement window is longer. The sources here do not provide a directly comparable current Black Friday dataset.
Quick Recap
- Duration: Compare equivalent campaign windows, not a month-long promotion with a single day.
- Coverage: Check whether the number covers one platform, several named platforms, or an estimated broader market.
- Metric: GMV, order count, transaction volume, and net sales are different measures.
- Adjustments: Look for whether refunds, shipping, subsidies, paid orders, or unpaid orders are included.
- Source and year: Keep platform reports and third-party estimates separate, and compare the same year where possible.
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