by Yi Wang
On November 11th, while the United States observes Veterans Day, on the other side of the world, people in China are experiencing the largest annual online shopping festival—Double Eleven. Originally called “Singles’ Day” in China, it got its name because the number ‘1’ resembles a stick, which humorously refers to single people as “bare sticks” (a colloquial term for singles). Initially, Singles’ Day was an informal holiday celebrated among Chinese college students as a day to embrace single life, dating back to the 1990s. Over time, it gradually became a day for young people to gather, socialize, and playfully celebrate being single.
However, the transformation of Singles’ Day began in 2009 when the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba capitalized on this popular date by launching a large-scale online promotional event to attract consumers’ attention and participation. As a result, the concept of the Double Eleven shopping festival quickly spread across China, becoming the biggest shopping event of the year.
The warm-up for the shopping festival usually starts in November, and on the day of the event, Chinese consumers add their desired items to their shopping carts in advance and place orders at midnight to enjoy the best discounts. Additionally, with the rise of live-streaming sales, influencers and hosts broadcast for extended hours during Double Eleven to attract audiences and drive purchases, further fueling the shopping craze. During the 2024 Double Eleven, e-commerce platforms reached sales of $199.4 billion. Today, Double Eleven has evolved into a nationwide shopping extravaganza.
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Elaine Bacon Literacy Program 