This year marks the 10th anniversary of Double 11 online shopping festival. The first Double 11 in 2009 brought in US$7.8 million in gross merchandise value (GMV). Total GMV generated in 2017 was US$25.3 billion, which was more than twice the size of Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.
If you are not familiar with Double 11, visit this page for resources or watch the video below for a quick overview:
This year, 180,000 brands from China and around the world participate. New this year, 200,000 smart stores in China across the apparel, fast-moving consumer goods, beauty products, automobile, and home décor industries help boost traffic to offline and online shopping destinations. Tmall Global provides 3,700 categories of imported goods from 75 countries and regions on its platform.
Offline for Double 11 2018, some 200,000 mom-and-pop stores powered by Alibaba’s Ling Shou Tong provides online sales promotions and augmented reality-based red packets that offer discounts at 3,000 “Tmall Corner Stores.” Rural Taobao will also bring coupons to its services in 800 counties across 29 provinces in China.
Hema, Alibaba’s New Retail supermarket chain, will designate 11.11 signature stores, each featuring a number of promotions. And RT-Mart will complete the makeover of its nearly 400 stores, fully equipping them with New Retail capabilities.
Related: Alibaba Taobao’s marketing strategy for Double 11 in 2018
This year, 500,000 items are available for pre-order on Alibaba’s B2C e-commerce platform Tmall from October 20. Customers can enjoy additional promotional coupons on Mobile Taobao and Mobile Tmall. Specifically, the 2018 Double 11 Global Shopping Festival will have the following features:
Brand Innovation
Tmall will continue to give brands access to new digital capabilities – 180,000 brands from China and around the world will participate in this year’s celebration. 200,000 smart stores in China across the apparel, fast-moving consumer goods, beauty products, automobile and home décor industries will help boost traffic to offline and online shopping destinations. Tmall Global provides 3,700 categories of imported goods from 75 countries and regions on its platform.
International Consumers
Tmall World, AliExpress and Lazada will bring the event to hundreds of millions of overseas users, making 11.11 a truly global event. Lazada will host its first 11.11 Shopping Festival across six countries in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, offering more engaged consumer experience and the biggest discounts of the year from LazMall and Lazada marketplace.
Participation of Local Services
Ele.me’s on-demand platform will provide delivery services for select Starbucks stores across 11 Chinese cities, including full-service coverage in Beijing and Shanghai. In addition, 150,000 merchant partners of Koubei will offer half-price discounts on catering, beauty and hair salons and karaoke bars.
New Opportunities for Small Merchants
200,000 mom-and-pop stores powered by Alibaba’s Ling Shou Tong (which translates as “retail-integrated”) will provide online sales promotions, along with augmented reality-based red packets that offer discounts at 3,000 “Tmall Corner Stores.” Rural Taobao will also bring coupons to its services in 800 counties across 29 provinces in China.
Dining and Supermarket
Hema supermarket will designate 11.11 signature stores featuring a number of promotions. RT-Mart will complete the makeover of its nearly 400 stores, fully equipping them with New Retail capabilities.
Star-studded Entertainment
Tmall Collection’s “See Now, Buy Now” Fashion Show will be broadcast live on ten platforms including Taobao, Youku, Weibo and Toutiao on October 20, starting at 6pm in China. This will provide millions of customers the opportunity to buy their favorite items on the spot and vote for their favorite looks to create a trend report. In addition, the signature countdown Gala will be held on November 10 in Shanghai’s Mercedes Benz Arena, featuring renowned stars.
Local Services, Entertainment on Display
Local services will be a focus of this year’s 11.11. Ele.me’s on-demand platform will provide delivery services for select Starbucks stores across 11 Chinese cities, including full-service coverage in Beijing and Shanghai. In addition, 150,000 Koubei merchant partners will offer half off on catering, beauty and hair salons and karaoke bars.
Entertainment is also going to be front-and-center for the festival. Tmall Collection’s “See Now, Buy Now” fashion show will be broadcast live on 10 platforms, including Taobao, Youku, Weibo and Toutiao on Oct. 20, starting at 6 p.m. in China. Millions of customers will have the chance to buy their favorite items on the spot and vote for their favorite looks to create a trend report. In addition, the signature countdown gala will be held on Nov. 10 in Shanghai’s Mercedes Benz Arena, featuring renowned stars.
In addition to the popular “See Now” and “Buy Now” features, this year’s fashion show also introduced a new interactive feature, “Play Now.”
Viewers had a chance to vote for their favorite outfits to create a trend report while watching the show. While watching online, the consumers were able to choose among four fashion styles and vote for the “next hot items,” providing insights and instant feedback to participating brands.
AliExpress, which sells Chinese goods to consumers overseas, and Tmall World, a site aimed at Chinese consumers living abroad, are taking on a bigger role in this year’s 11.11. In expectation of an increase in cross-border shipments, Cainiao has chartered 51 flights to Western Europe, Russia and Southeast Asia, as well as about 1,000 shipping containers set for buyers in Southeast Asia and other destinations by sea.
Alibaba Tmall Double 11 2018 Statistics
- 00:02:05 RMB 10 billion
- 00:04:20 19.1 bn yuan, reaching the entire sales on Double 11 2012
- 00:12:14 36.2 bn yuan, reaching the entire sales on Doulbe 11 2013
- 00:28:41 52 bn yuan
- 00:35:17 57.1 bn yuan, exceeding the entire sales of Double 11 in 2014 (01:00:49)
- 00:57:56 66.6 bn yuan
- 01:16:37 91.2 bn yuan, exceeding the entire sales on 11.11.2015. Singles’ Day 2017 took 07:22:54 to reach the same GMV
- 01:47:26 100 bn yuan, Doulbe 11 2017 took 09:00:04 to reach the same number
- 06:04:12 111.1 bn yuan, Double 11 2017 took 10:54:26 to reach the same number
- 08:08:52 120.7 bn yuan, exceeding the entire sales on Double 11 2016. Double 11 2017 took 13:09:49 to reach the same number
- 10:28:30 US$20 billion
- 12:08:40 150 billion yuan
- 15:49:39 168.2 billion yuan, the full day GMV in 2017
- Total: 213.5 billion yuan (US$30.7 billion)
Statistics: Alibaba Double GMV 2009-2018
Tmall Sales Highlights
- Total sales of cosmetics products exceeded last year’s total in 3 hours and 30 minutes
- Total sales of Tmall Supermarket and Tmall Global exceeded last year’s total in less than 8 hours respectively
- Total sales of pharmaceuticals exceeded last year’s total in less than 10 hours
- Total sales of automotive segment exceeded last year’s total in 10 hours
- Top 10 regions by sales as of 12pm: Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Beijing, Shandong, Sichuan, Henan, Hubei, Fujian
Find out the performance of other retail & e-commerce companies here.