11:11 Make a Wish – China’s Cyber Monday

Many may know and participate in the United States huge rush for online shopping after Thanksgiving, also known as Cyber Monday.  However this ranks as the second largest e-commerce event in the world.  In the recent years, an online shopping extravaganza has emerged for China.  It began in the 1990s by college students who did not have a significant other.  As a replacement for Valentines Day, young adults without partners began treating themselves to dinners and gifts.  The concept of the date arose by November 11th or 11-11 which has 4 singles (for singles).  It has now erupted into possibly the busiest online shopping day in the world.

The simple items have now evolved into jewelry, TVs, and even cars.  The event has also spurred the need for different marketing techniques and price cuts.  As the article mentioned, some retailers have promised discounts up to 70 percent off.  The deals are very hard to resist and resemble many aspects of the United States’ Cyber Monday.  Halfway through the day,  approximately $1.6 billion in sales have been accumulated by means of the largest website for online shopping in China, tmall.com.  This amount has surpassed the $1.25 billion that United States online retailers took in last year’s Cyber Monday according to the article’s source comScore, a research firm.

Companies have also had to begin planning and forecasting sales and delivery services months in advance.  Alibaba, the largest Chinese operator of e-commerce, has requested additional lounge chairs and made reservations for rooms in nearby hotels for their employees to take much need breaks and relaxation.  According to the article,  more than 800,000 delivery personal will be working Sunday with the additional 75,000 hired seasonal workers.  And one of the largest companies has even expanded their operating capacity by 50 percent.

Although the idea of a large shopping spree day online in China may be different from the United States, there are many similarities when it comes to the businesses and their preparation.  Do you see a growing trend in online shopping in American or believe that making the trip to the store is necessary?  In my opinion, I believe it matters in the nature of a product to either purchase it from a picture on the screen or physically taking the good off the shelf.

 

Article Source : http://finance.yahoo.com/news/singles-day-chinas-online-shopping-070856623.html

4 thoughts on “11:11 Make a Wish – China’s Cyber Monday

  1. This is a super interesting article. It’s definitely a reminder of how business must adapt their operations for certain times or days of the year in order to serve their customer. I’ve never heard about this day in China, very cool.

  2. There is definitely a growing trend in American online sales. Amazon has become a major producer in selling products online and is a growing threat to businesses such as Walmart and Target. I personally do not buying certain items online such as electronics but other things like clothes, I definitely need to try on before I buy it.

  3. I believe there is an increasing trend in purchasing products online. Some people don’t have the time to go to an brick and mortar store, so he or she does the research about a product online and then purchase whatever item they want. For clothing, a lot of retailers allow you to return or exchange the product that was shipped to you if you are not satisfied with the item for whatever reason. There are also many products that are available only online, which pushes people into not only visiting the store’s web page, but also gets you in the habit of purchasing products online. It all depends on consumer preferences and whether or not he or she is open to certain innovation.

  4. I despise black friday and do not understand why more people do not take advantage of cyber monday. Most people do not even realize, at least back a few years ago, if you waited in like for over 5hours… you could have just worked and paid for the product you wanted to buy at full price …. haha cyber monday is the way to go, best deals and no lines.

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