Since the term ‘Black Friday’ is related to a shopping day, American businesses have been consistently promoting this marketing model worldwide. However, such efforts did not receive the expected feedback in China and didn’t garner much attention. It soon faded in comparison to the rising phenomenon of China’s Singles’ Day shopping carnival, also known as Double 11.

China is a secular country, and while Christian culture has gained considerable recognition, the specific meaning of Black Friday has not been widely embraced. Even Americans themselves initially found it somewhat strange to use the ironic term “Black Friday” to refer to a shopping day, let alone Chinese customers. Instead, Singles’ Day and Double 11 have deep cultural roots in China, and this is reflected in social reality as well. According to the population census conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, there is a significant gender imbalance, with 34.9 million more males than females in China. This is a substantial number. Single individuals have become a significant consumer group that cannot be ignored.

Double 11 shopping day on November 11 was introduced by the Alibaba Group in 2008. Yet, within a brief span of time, it has grown to become China’s largest shopping day. Singles’ Day originally emerged in 1993 when four single male students from Nanjing University noticed that the date November 11th, represented in Arabic numerals as 11/11, consists entirely of the numeral “1.” The numeral “1” in Chinese also symbolizes singleness, so 11/11 should be the day for singleness. This clever idea quickly spread throughout the university campus, gaining popularity among young people.

As successive generations of students graduated and entered society, the concept of Singles’ Day gradually became known to people of different age groups. Finally, the Alibaba operational group decided to capitalize on Singles’ Day and established it as Double 11 Shopping Festival, similar to how Americans celebrate Black Friday.

Furthermore, as time progresses and societal perspectives shift, Singles’ Day is no longer a festival only for single individuals. Whether married individuals or couples, many of them participate in the celebrations, and Double 11 has now become a national, all-encompassing shopping day in China. If you’re looking to enter the Chinese market, it presents an excellent opportunity.