If your brand is investing its efforts in preparing for online sales on Cyber Monday in anticipation of the high sales numbers, Singles Day is an important day for eCommerce that you should also pay attention to.

Why? Because...

• In 2018, Cyber Monday became the highest U.S. eCommerce sales day in history with $7.9 Billion in revenue.

• If we add in the other days of the sales-oriented weekend, Thanksgiving Day saw $3.7 Billion in online sales and Black Friday saw $6.2 Billion in online sales.

• So if we add these figures up, over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2018, there was $17.8 Billion in revenue from online sales.

Singles Day in 2018, which takes place on November 11th each year, brought in $30.8 Billion in online sales for eCommerce giant Alibaba last year. According to practicalcommerce.com, this is a 27% increase over the previous year, smaller than the the 2017 increase of 39% but albeit a significant move in the right direction.

So it comes as no surprise that any and everywhere you look right now on Chinese social media platforms and mobile apps you will be bombarded by Singles Day deals leading up to November 11th. These limited-time offers are promoted beginning from the end of October, where brands engage celebrity brand ambassadors for online ads, online live stream segments, and special handpicked brand packages touted by celebrities to their large fanbases.

Below are a few samples of how brands are creatively engaging their fans to boost their Singles Day sales numbers.

1. Limited Time WeChat Store

Galeries Lafayette Shanghai created a 72-hour limited time WeChat store featuring China's top ten designers. Users can shop creations by these designers through the limited time WeChat store (which is also known as a WeChat Mini Program that exists on the WeChat platform). A reminder that WeChat Stores can be tied to a WeChat Official Account, making the in-app shopping and purchase experience for users seamless.

2. WeChat Exclusive 11.11 Product Launches

Nike created a WeChat Store featuring Singles Day product launches and special 50% offers, driving users to make purchases through this platform.

3. Weibo Celebrity Endorsements

OLAY worked with celebrity spokesperson Xiao Zhan, one of China's hottest idols this year, to create a 'hand-picked' product package by Xiao Zhan, which he showcases in a video promoted on the brand's Weibo page. Below the video, a link is integrated into the post to encourage users to click through to buy the same product package as their idol. The link leads them to a branded product landing page where they could shop items from the specific whitening product line endorsed by Xiao Zhan. Note that brands often have official stores on multiple eCommerce platforms in China, meaning the brands 'go to' where consumers are, instead of the international way, which is usually focused on driving consumers to a central official website. In China, wherever the consumer is, is where the brands will set up an official presence. For example, TaoBao and Jingdu are only two amongst many eCommerce platforms where brands like OLAY set up official online stores.

4. Douyin Celebrity Endorsements

OLAY also marketed its special Singles Day product package with Xiao Zhan on Douyin (the original version of TikTok that is used in Mainland China). This sample showcases how brands should consider creating video content tailored for a mobile experience in portrait orientation, as consumers shift their purchasing behavior to spending more money online, which is a significant trend in China. The video has a pop-up product link that takes users to a branded product page on T-Mall (Tao Bao eCommerce platform), where users can shop and complete their purchase.

5. Online Livestream to Drive Fan Engagement

Head and Shoulders engaged Wang Yibo as their Brand Ambassador in China and had him participate in a live stream session where fans tuned in to live chat with their idol. Fans were asked to visit TaoBao on November 1st and search for the keyword 'Wang Yibo', which would allow them to 'make a wish' to their idol. On November 4th, Wang Yibo took part in a live stream segment which was broadcasted on Tao Bao and Youku, where he answered fan questions that were submitted and granted select fans' wishes. Of course, throughout the duration of the live stream fans were shown ads of the various products the brands wanted to push. Here, the brand was able to measure the number of searches for the keyword on TaoBao, the number of live stream viewers, and the sales accumulated during the live stream segment.

How is your brand planning for Singles Day? Have you considered an exclusive Singles Day offer to entice Chinese consumers? Now is the time to start planning for 2020!

Statistics shows that in North America, consumers spent $513.61 Billion online, whereas, in China, consumers spent $1.33 Trillion online in 2018. Online eCommerce is an area that will continue to grow in the China market, and if your brand intends on being an international powerhouse, you will need a knowledgeable team to support your growth into the China market. Feel like you could use some help? Contact our team today at info@catalystagents.com to learn more about how we can extend your team's capabilities.