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Business Insider Singapore/Malaysia


Within 24 hours, people in China spent more money to buy stuff than entire countries make in a year, thanks to Alibaba’s wildly popular 11.11 shopping festival.
The e-commerce company sold RMB268 billion (US$38.4 billion) worth of merchandise through Alipay on its Chinese retail platforms, including Lazada and AliExpress, it announced in a statement on November 12.
That’s nearly one-third more than it sold last year, and 5,153 times more than what it sold at its first Singles’ Day event one decade ago (RMB52 million).
What does Alibaba’s Singles’ Day mean for luxury brands?
Here’s everything that went down at this year’s insane Singles’ Day celebrations:
In July, Alibaba-owned Tmall started the Chinese giant’s first official press conference for 11.11 in Hangzhou.


In October, Alibaba, the owner of the South China Morning Post, held its Tmall Collection show, which it described as the “11.11 opening show”.
The extravagant show was a preview of the “massive selection” of items available on Singles’ Day, it adds.

The show included some truly over-the-top moments, such as a Game of Thrones theatrical dance by Scottish brand Johnnie Walker to promote its new whiskeys …

… and a number by Luo Tianyi – a virtual singer popular in China – commissioned by sanitary pad brand Whisper.

Chinese department store chain Intime Malls – an Alibaba partner – also ran an 11.11 fashion show in Xi’an.

The show featured 150 winter outfits from 15 luxury brands.
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Tmall officially kicked off Alibaba’s “11.11 season” on October 21.

Tmall and Taobao president Jiang Fan said 11.11 aimed to “stimulate consumption demand and support lifestyle upgrade”.

He predicted the massive discounts from 11.11 will help consumers save RMB50 billion (US$7 billion) this year.
The night before 11.11, brand reps flocked to Alibaba’s global headquarters in Hangzhou to watch the countdown gala and view first hour sales figures.
The campus was lavishly lit with neon lasers and fairy lights strewn across the floor.

Taylor Swift and Stella McCartney get romantic for their capsule collection
There was a huge sculpture containing the tagline, “Make 11′ Happen”.
Employees took photos in front of the sculpture.

Elsewhere on the campus, another installation featured the mascots of various Alibaba brands.

Alibaba started its countdown gala in Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Arena.
It was broadcast on 10 cable networks across China, Southeast Asia, Africa and America.
The “internet gala” featured a moving stage, interactive LED floors and 4K high-definition streaming.

The entire arrangement required 300 technical staff to operate.
Influencers filled the gala’s audience, with many live-streaming the event to followers.
Others took photos all night to post on social media.

The gala’s star-studded line-up included a duet by Russian soprano Aida Garifullina and Chinese singer Ayanga …

… a solo performance by singer Jackson Yee of Chinese boy band TFBoys …

What has Scooter Braun done to upset Taylor Swift?
… and a mini-concert by headliner Taylor Swift.
The Grammy Award-winner performed three new songs from her latest album, “Lover,” including Lover, You Need to Calm Down, and ME!.

At one point, she sat down to play a keyboard smothered in shredded coloured tissue.

In a tribute to her album, butterfly imagery was projected all over the massive screens.

Swift’s “Lover” is China’s top full-length international album, hitting 1 million equivalent units – a measure of both sales and streaming – within one week of release.
The gala also included a game segment, where celebrities broke up into teams and played life-size Tetris and Candy Crush, while viewers used their phones to support their favourite teams and win vouchers.
Within the first minute of 11.11, US$1 billion in sales was made.
All across China, influencers recommended 11.11 products to followers, while a live-stream on Taobao sold 55 cars in one second.
Taylor Swift is worth over US$300 million – how does she spend it?
Fifteen companies, including L’Oreal, earned RMB1 billion from the day’s sales.
Top live-streamer Viya Huang promoted Kim Kardashian-West’s new perfume brand, KKW, to local consumers.

On a live-stream featuring the Tmall mascot and logo, the American reality star said she was “proud and amazed that there [were] so many influencers in China”.
Offline, customers swarmed shops in Alibaba-partnered Intime Malls.
Among the shops that consumers mobbed were beauty brand MAC …

… and New York-based Estée Lauder, which sells skincare, make-up, perfume and hair products.

A Chinese hypermarket linked to Alibaba slashed its prices by half and customers cleaned out entire shelves.
Many people packed their carts until they were overflowing.

Singles’ Day ended with Alibaba raking in RMB268 billion on its giant GMV (gross merchandise value) counter.
“Today we showed the world what the future of consumption looks like for brands and consumers,” Tmall president Fan Jiang said in a statement.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West embody America’s fast food culture
He added: “We are meeting the growing demand of Chinese consumers and helping them upgrade their lifestyles, while introducing new users to our digital economy from across China and around the world.”
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .
This article originally appeared on Business Insider.


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Alibaba

What do Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Alibaba and Chinese Singles’ Day shoppers have in common?

Alibaba’s massive 11.11 countdown party included American singer Taylor Swift performing a mini-concert.

Jackson Yee. Alibaba

How Alibaba’s Singles’ Day became a global billion dollar shopping festival – and what ‘11.11’ means for luxury brands

The total figure spent is displayed on the big screen in Shanghai during the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival in 2018, when a new record was set – and is likely to be broken in 2019. Photo: Simon Song

Jack Ma Yun, Chairman of Alibab Group, appears in a promotional TV program acting as a online cosmetic promoter, displayed at the news center of the 2018 Tmall Double 11 Gala (Tmall 11.11 Global Shopping Festival) in Shanghai, on Saturday evening, Nov.10, 2018. 10NOV18 SCMP / Simon Song

Mariah Carey performs at the 2018 Tmall Double 11 Gala (Tmall 11.11 Global Shopping Festival) in Shanghai, on Saturday evening, Nov.10, 2018. The shopping festival will formally start at midnight Saturday. 10NOV18 SCMP / Simon Song

People select watches on an electronic screen at a T-Mall exhibition during the Singles Day shopping festival in Shanghai on November 11, 2017. - China's smartphone-wielding masses unleashed billions of dollars in e-commerce spending November 11 as they rushed to snap up bargains on "Singles Day" -- billed as the world's biggest one-day online shopping festival. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT

For its pioneering Genius project, Moncler replaces its seasonal campaigns with monthly collections in collaboration with forward-thinking fashion designers such as Craig Green and Hiroshi Fujiwara. SCMP Pictures (UNDATED HANDOUT)

The big screen shows the GMV (gross merchandise volume) exceeding RMB 10 billion in 125 seconds at the news center of the 2018 Tmall Double 11 Gala (Tmall 11.11 Global Shopping Festival) in Shanghai, on Saturday evening, Nov.10, 2018. 11NOV18 SCMP / Simon Song

Members of the eFounders Fellowship from southeast Asian countries selfie while watching the Shopping Festival a the news center of the 2018 Tmall Double 11 Gala (Tmall 11.11 Global Shopping Festival) in Shanghai, on Saturday evening, Nov.10, 2018. 11NOV18 SCMP / Simon Song

Billie Eilish and Lizzo to perform at 2019 AMAs – where Taylor Swift could beat Michael Jackson’s record as most-honoured artist in awards’ history

Taylor Swift could beat Michael Jackson’s record and become the most-recognised artist in the history of American Music Awards, at this year’s event on November 24. Photo: Invision/AP

This combination photo shows Lizzo performing at The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Oct. 18, 2019, left, and Billie Eilish performing at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., on April 20, 2019. Eilish and Lizzo will perform at the 2019 American Music Awards, airing live on ABC from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Nov. 24. (AP Photo)

FILE - In this July 10, 2019 file photo, singer Taylor Swift performs at Amazon Music's Prime Day concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Swift, who has won 23 American Music Awards, is up for five awards this year including artist of the year and could surpass the King of Pop, who holds the record for most wins with 24 trophies. The fan-voted AMAs will air live on Nov. 24. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

From Ariana Grande’s Chelsea apartment to Taylor Swift’s West Village townhouse – inside 9 celebrity homes in New York City

Taylor Swift is one of the many celebrities that call New York City home, at least part of the time. Photo: GC Images

FILeE- This Sept. 9, 2019 file photo shows Meryl Streep at the Toronto International Film Festival Tribute Gala, a fundraiser that highlights standout creators in the film industry, in Toronto. Streep's film "The Laundromat" will be released in U.S. theaters on Sept. 27. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

Sting and his wife Trudie Styler arrive at the 12th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Fundraiser and post-Oscar party in West Hollywood, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 29, 2004. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Katie Warren/Business Insider

REUTERS/Demetrius Freeman

Maggie Gyllenhaal and husband Peter Sarsgaard arrive for the world premiere of the film "The Irishman" in New York City, New York, U.S., September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

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(FILES) In this file photo taken on December 06, 2018 US singer/songwriter Ariana Grande attends Billboard's 13th Annual Women In Music event at Pier 36 in New York City. - US pop star Ariana Grande has sued fashion retailer Forever 21 for using her trademark style to promote its products without her permission, including adverts featuring a "look-alike model." The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles district court September 2, 2019, claims the campaign was intended to trick consumers into believing Grande had endorsed Forever 21's youth-oriented products. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)

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Kim Kardashian at 29 vs 39: from reality TV star famous for a sex tape, to a married mother of 4 studying law and worth US$360 million

As she turns 39, Kim Kardashian can celebrate a transformation from reality TV star to businesswoman, with numerous interests including clothing line Kimono, modelled by the star here. Photo: Reuters

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West arrive for the 2019 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019, in New York. - The Gala raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. The Gala's 2019 theme is "Camp: Notes on Fashion" inspired by Susan Sontag's 1964 essay "Notes on Camp". (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

US reality television star Kim Kardashian poses by Armenian flags at the Armenian Government building during her visit in Yerevan on October 9, 2019. - Kim Kardashian baptised her children on October 7, 2019 during a visit to her ancestral homeland Armenia. (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN / AFP)

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On Singles’ Day, the popular 11.11 shopping festival in China, e-commerce company Alibaba raked in US$38.4 billion in sales, nearly one-third more than it sold in 2018


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