Singles Day: the shopping event that eclipses Black…

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If you’re looking for a deal ahead of Christmas, you may be waiting for Black Friday at the end of November when brands and companies offer amazing deals on their best products.

But did you know there’s another shopping holiday that’s even bigger than the American export?

While Black Friday sales typically follow the US holiday of Thanksgiving, on the other side of the world, more people than ever are buying products in honour of something called Single’s Day.

Celebrated in China, it’s the one day of the year where you can treat yourself guilt-free to something you’ve always wanted.

Also known as Guanggun Jie, Bachelor’s Day or Single Sticks Holiday, it sparks a huge shopping frenzy every year on November 11.

Why is it called Singles Day?

The name came about because of how the date looks numerically – 11.11. In China, the number 1 represents a single person.

How did Singles Day start?

Its origins can be traced back to Nanjing University in 1993. Thanks to China’s now-defunct one-child policy, there was an explosion in the male population, while the number of baby girls born dramatically receded. This led to a whole generation of bachelors, looking and failing, to find a wife.

Four male students decided to kick back against the negative connotations of their single status by turning the tables and celebrating the day instead. The idea caught on like wildfire at other universities and went on to become wildly popular in Chinese society.

How big is it?

You may be reading about it for the first time now, but Single’s Day is seriously big news in Asia. The Chinese are fans of an auspicious number, so on Single's Day in 2011 - dubbed the Singles Day of the Century when the date read 11.11.11 - shoppers splurged more than £500m in one day on Alibaba alone. That's a lot of parcel deliveries.

More recently, in 2017 Amazon made around $1bn on Amazon Prime Day. Meanwhile a year earlier, Alibaba made that in the first five minutes of Single’s Day.

Do you have to be single to join in?

While the holiday initially began as a way to celebrate singledom, it’s grown into a fully-fledged shopping holiday with couples and families also taking part in the shopping bonanza.

It’s also a very popular date to tie the knot (thereby ending singledom), with more and more couples saying ‘I do’ on November 11.

What does it mean for the UK?

Now, a report commissioned by VoucherCodes.co.uk from The Centre for Retail Research predicts sales of £1.3bn in the UK on Monday November 11 - and that's despite only 16.5 per cent of shoppers having heard of the event.

Brands expected to participate in Single's Day in the UK include Amazon, ASOS and Sports Direct.

How can I get in on it?

Those shoes that have been idling in your online basket, or the fancy watch you’ve had your eye on but can’t quite justify? Now’s the time to indulge, all in the name of Single’s Day.

The only rule is, you’re shopping for yourself, and yourself alone. Call it the ultimate in self-care or rename it (as we have informally) to Treat Yo’Self Day.

If you’re struggling for inspiration, check out our list of most-wanted products and new launches, carefully selected by the ES Best team.