Singles Day falls on November 11, cleverly playing on the four “single” digits of 11/11. It’s hailed as the opposite of Valentine’s Day and a guilt free excuse to treat yourself. Maybe you missed it. I sure did.
As George Anderson notes in RetailWire, this solo occasion is racking up multi-billions. In 2014, it surpassed $9B globally, exceeding Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.
Most interesting is its origin. A popular Chinese holiday since the late 90s, it has been exported by Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) on its AliExpress US marketplace and imported by other large sites like Overstock.com and Dealmoon.com. As the largest global IPO ever, Alibaba carries some clout these days.