Singles’ Day shopping festival loses its shine under China’s lagging economy

Singles’ Day shopping festival loses its shine under China’s lagging economy

Businesses and consumers in China found the annual Singles’ Day shopping festival less attractive this year amid a sluggish economy, forcing e-commerce firms to look abroad for growth. Online service provider and e-commerce platform Alibaba started the now-famous event on Nov. 11, 2009, offering attractive discounts to entice shoppers to spend more. The extravaganza, also … Read more

Alibaba takes in $84.54 billion in orders in toned-down Singles Day

Alibaba takes in .54 billion in orders in toned-down Singles Day

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd recorded 540.3 billion yuan ($84.54) billion in orders, or “gross merchandise value” (GMV), over its 11-day Singles’ Day sales event, marking a roughly 14% increase from the year prior. The results come as overall consumption in China slows, and cap a relatively muted version of a sales festival … Read more