AlixExpress announced its annual 11.11 Global Shopping Festival (also known as Singles’ Day), which will run Nov. 1 to 18.
“This year’s event builds on AliExpress’ commitment to making online shopping more affordable, convenient and reliable for U.S. consumers,” the company said Thursday, adding that shoppers will have access to deep discounts and special offers via its Brand+ program, which is AliExpress’ marketplace for “trusted products.”
The company said shoppers can access delivery protections, free shipping and returns on “Choice”-labeled items, as well as enhanced customer support.
AlixExpress also touted its new affiliate partnership with YouTube Shopping, which was announced Oct. 20, and aims to give consumers more ways “to directly discover and shop products through creator recommendations during the 11.11 festival.”
Singles’ Day (11.11) originated in 1993 at China’s Nanjing University when a group of students created an “anti-Valentine’s Day” to celebrate being single. They chose Nov. 11 because the four solitary ones (“11.11”) symbolized four individuals. By 2009, the tradition was global in scope due to Alibaba rebranding it as a 24-hour shopping festival.
Today, the event has evolved into the world’s largest online and physical shopping event, consistently outperforming Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. Bain & Co. estimate Black Friday and Cyber Monday will generate $85 billion in sales this year. Singles’ Day is pegged to see more than $240 billion in sales.
“11.11 is one of the best opportunities of the year for shoppers to discover great products at exceptional prices,” said Chris Gu, U.S. country manager at AliExpress. “We’re making this year’s festival even better for U.S. consumers with compelling Brand+ deals and stronger service guarantees. Whether they’re shopping for holiday gifts early or everyday essentials, we want customers to feel confident they’re getting great value and a seamless shopping experience from start to finish.”
This year, the marketplace goes bigger on deals and product and brand discovery. Shoppers will find discounts on select products across a variety of categories such as tech accessories, home essentials, fashion apparel, beauty and personal care and more. AliExpress said eligible shoppers paying through PayPal can also receive an additional discount of up to 14 percent.
With its Brand+ program, consumers can find special offers from “trusted brands” along with free shipping and returns on eligible purchases. The offers include 16 to 63 percent off on Li-Ning sports footwear, apparel, bags and accessories. Elitewheels is spotlighting 33 to 45 percent off on sports and recreation gear. There’s also a new “shopper bundle” offers where eligible new customers have the chance to purchase three qualified items for just $0.99.
In addition, AliExpress is offering exclusive monthly coupons as well as chances to earn rewards via in-app activities and games.
With the YouTube partnership, eligible creators “can curate and tag AliExpress products across Shorts, livestreams and long-form videos, connecting viewers with recommendations at the moment of inspiration and a direct path to purchase,” the company said, adding that there will also be giveaways on Reddit.
AliExpress was launched in 2010 as a global e-commerce platform “dedicated to creating a better shopping experience for hundreds of millions of consumers in more than 200 countries and regions.” AliExpress is part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group.
