On December 14, SCOLAR Network and the Beijing hub co-organized the SCOLAR cross-hub cultural event on “11.11 AKA Singles Day: The Biggest Shopping Spree Tradition in China.” Artem Zhdanov, Outlandish Group Co-founder and EDK; Asilbek Khonkhujaev, live streamer and student at Alibaba Business School; and Zhe Song from SCOLAR Beijing hub shared their experience on the topic.
Artem Zhdanov shared the overview of 11.11, AKA singles day. He mentioned that 11.11 days should be called a Double Eleven instead of a single’s day. In recent years, 11.11 shopping is not just for a day but has elongated to one month due to smartphones and live streaming. Although e-commerce is getting slow due to live-streaming online shopping is becoming bigger and bigger. Also, delivery infrastructure has become more efficient in China, which has made online shopping much faster and more convenient today. It is also becoming famous worldwide, and there is a big gala at the headquarters of Alibaba on this day with a celebrity promoting it.
Asilbek Khonkhujaev shared about live-streaming shopping. He said live streaming is not just about selling, but it is a means of connecting with people and culture. He mentioned live streaming has been playing a greater role in e-commerce, and anybody could sell their product via live streaming without a middle person. He shared different platforms for online streaming, such as Taobao, Ping Duo Duo, JD, Snapchat, Instagram, and more. He shared that Tmall was one of the biggest platforms during 11.11 online shopping, followed by JD.
Finally, Zhe Song from SCOLAR Beijing hub showed a different perspective of the 11.11 shopping experience as a consumer. She stated that 11.11 days has evolved from a grass-roots family holiday to a huge commercial holiday. She shared about the representation of the working class and behind the consumption. Her presentation represented that as a consumer, one should be aware of what we are buying as most of the products still need to be recycled. Online shopping leaves a considerable carbon footprint sent from one point to another.
The overall event was very informative, with much sharing of 11.11 days from experts. This day has become huge in the whole world thanks to digitalization. But having said the fun part of the 11.11 shopping spree, as a consumer, we should be aware of the impact this consumption is taking and how it is affecting the environment we live in.