Singles' Day 2022: 12 Surprising Facts About China's Biggest Shopping Holiday

Being single doesn't mean being alone, and being alone doesn't mean being lonely, especially when Christmas is coming early by having a day all for yourself with the biggest sales coming this Nov. 11.

For those who roll their eyes whenever they're reminded of their single blessedness or those who find true serenity in solitude, you can celebrate Singles' Day with a smile as the biggest shopping holiday awaits your doorstep.

But what is Singles' Day, and why is there such a thing?

1. Singles' Day, dubbed "Double 11," is commemorated every Nov. 11 when single people indulge in shopping and gifts. If it feels like a lead-up to Christmas, you are free to warm yourself up.

Nov. 11 is celebrated as the biggest shopping festival with the biggest sales offered by stores, brands and small businesses, mostly in China. Even still, shopping during Singles' Day is a conscious treat that goes beyond the substantial discounts that come with ribbons.

2. According to famous lore about the advent of Singles' Day, in 1993, four male students at Nanjing University in China had the idea to create Singles' Day as they pondered ways to end their singledom.

The students decided to embrace being single by taking themselves to dinners or making purchases for themselves rather than continuing to wait for someone to do it for them. The so-called "antidote" for Valentine's Day had grown popular in universities, where it eventually became a celebration for single men and women.

3. Nov. 11 or 11/11 was reportedly chosen by the four male students who "invented" the unconventional holiday because it resembled four sticks, which stand for the four bachelor males they embody.

4. In 2009, China eventually made this unique celebration a retail holiday in conjunction with the online marketplace company Alibaba.

5. Alibaba is owned by the Chinese former English teacher-turned-business titan Jack Ma. Interestingly, his weak point during college was Mathematics, and he took the entrance exam twice as he failed the first time.

6. With a great desire to compete with American internet goliaths, Ma presented his business proposal for Alibaba to his 17 friends in 1999 in his apartment.

7. Ma may be the owner of the retail company, but CEO Daniel Zhang was the driving force behind the Singles' Day celebration to boost the standing of the e-commerce platform.

8. According to Reuters, only 27 brands participated in the 11.11 festival when the e-commerce platform first launched in 2009. And after ten years, there was a significant upswing, with Alibaba housing more than 200,000 brands as of 2019.

9. Alibaba's sale bonanza goes on for 24 hours, where potential consumers can claim exclusive vouchers and coupons. In 2019, the shopping extravaganza brought in a remarkable $38.4 billion in sales. In the U.S., this record-breaking sale eclipsed previous shopping festivals such as Cyber Monday and Black Friday.

10. Taylor Swift performed at Alibaba's annual Singles Day 11.11 Countdown Gala in Shanghai, China, as per Billboard.

"Lover," "ME!" and "You Need to Calm Down" were among the songs she sang at the global shopping event.

11. JD.com, the second-largest retailer in China, and Pinduoduo, the third-largest e-commerce platform in China, are competitors of Alibaba in the commercial world that also hold bumper sales.

JD.com accumulated 204.4 billion yuan in 11 days in 2019, while Pinduoduo took 6.1% of Singles' Day sales in the same year, according to Reuters.

12. Despite the digital market services breaking geographical barriers, the U.K. celebrates it differently. The U.K. celebrates National Singles' Day on March 11. The celebration for single people doesn't happen once because they also observe "Single Awareness Day" every Feb. 15.