Singles Day, or 11.11, is the world’s biggest online shopping festival—bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday. What was once popular as the anti-Valentine’s Day celebration in China has now become a huge opportunity for e-tailers globally. Now, if you are looking to use this day to get some traffic to your online business, you need to employ a battle plan that will ensure that among the sea of other businesses vying for consumer attention, you will stand out and end the day with bucket loads of money.
What is Singles Day?
Singles Day was originally started by Chinese college students in the 1990s as a celebration for single people. The festival has since been popularized by Chinese e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba, where millions of customers shop for discounted products. Today, this day is catching up with international retailers promising discounts and attracting customers to shop for their favorite products.
When is Singles Day?
Singles Day falls every year on the 11th of November, so make sure to prepare long ahead of the date so you are prepared to take advantage of the increase in online visibility and traffic.
Is Singles Day bigger than Black Friday?
In terms of sales generation, Singles Day has quickly now skyrocketed past the sales of Black Friday. It generates billions in sales within 24 hours—a gold mine for online businesses. Not to say that Black Friday is irrelevant, but with the meteoric growth and global appeal of Singles Day, websites and businesses simply can’t afford to miss out.
Why is Singles Day so crucial for e-commerce?
It is the absolute golden time for online businesses and brands to drive maximum sales and brand exposure and gain new customers. The size and scale of the event allow sites to fully leverage and acquire new customers at the lowest costs possible compared to other times of the year.
8 Tips to increase sales on Singles Day
Here are 8 tips to boost your sales on Singles Day:
- Promote early
- Optimize your website and app
- Prepare your logistics
- Start Singles Day deals
- Boost your social media
- Announce the campaign with email marketing
- Promote the self-gifting idea
- Analyze your performance for next year
Promote early
The number one key to Singles Day’s success is preparation. Generate some hype around your campaign several weeks before November 11 by running countdowns, teasers, and promotions via your owned marketing channels, such as social media and email. Hold a pre-sale to incentivize early purchases and visits to your site.
Optimize your website and app
Make sure your website and app are ready to handle the influx of traffic from Singles Day. It should be fast, mobile-optimized, and user-friendly. Make sure every product page loads properly. Run a few test purchases to make sure there are no hitches in the checkout experience that might turn visitors off. Any friction in your website experience could be the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity.
Prepare your logistics
With high volumes of sales, you have to be ready to deliver. Coordinate with your logistics providers to ensure your supply chain can handle the increase in demand. Give your inventory a quick boost, optimize your packaging process, and consider providing express shipping for a nice surprise at the door of your customers.
Start Singles Day deals
Start your Singles Day deals early in the morning to catch the eyes of consumers. Try tiered discounts, where the more consumers spend, the more they can save. Flash sales and limited-time deals, as well as bundling products, can help drive urgency and spending.
Boost your social media
Take advantage of advertising through social media and get access to your target audience on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. You can even go over to YouTube and inundate people with your products. Now, if you have the budget, you can take social media marketing to the next level by getting some social media influencers on board.
Announce the campaign with email marketing
Email marketing is still one of the most effective channels for driving Singles Day sales. Make sure you’re alerting your email list well in advance about the event with an eye-catching subject line and a clear call to action. Send reminders leading up to the event day and remind them of your best deals and any ways you’re making the event special for them.
Promote the self-gifting idea
While Singles Day started as a holiday for singles, it now gives everyone the excuse to splurge on themselves. Get your customers excited about buying your products for themselves by promoting self-care and self-rewards. Point out your products that are especially good for self-gifting. Run a sale or offer a discount to make it more irresistible to buy.
Analyze your performance for next year
Once the shopping frenzy is over, don’t forget to look back and analyze your success. Check your stats, review the feedback you’ve gotten from customers and your findings. What went well, and what could have gone better? Use this data to build and fine-tune your strategy for next year’s Singles Day. There’s no doubt you can improve, so why not work with that in mind and aim for even better results?
How to maximize your e-commerce potential
To fully take advantage of Singles Day for your e-commerce business, take advantage of platforms such as Workhy, which is equipped with tools specific to online enterprise requirements. Is your business ready to capitalize on Singles Day? Prepare with Workhy to make it the most profitable day of the year!
