Forget the reason why Singles Day exists, says ParcelHero. Big bargains on many UK and international sites will help avoid Christmas delivery delays, whether you are buying for yourself or for all your friends and family. Expect a £1.58bn early November shopping explosion.
Singles Day, which kicked off in China in 1993, has become the world’s biggest shopping event – an £84bn extravaganza. This year, Brits should jump aboard the international bandwagon, says the home delivery expert ParcelHero. Buying your gifts this Thursday will help avoid threatened Christmas delivery delays and stock shortages.
Head of Consumer Research at ParcelHero, David Jinks M.I.L.T., says: ‘Singles Day is supposedly the flip side of Valentine’s Day. It was created by Chinese single male university students back in the 1990s to cheer themselves up. The date selected was 11/11, with the repeated number 1 symbolising solo living. But forget the day’s origins. This year, it’s a chance to avoid looming Christmas chaos and start buying for everyone.
‘Globally, Singles Day is now a bigger online shopping event than even Black Friday or Cyber Monday. ParcelHero’s latest research shows the global spend was over £84bn on Singles Day last year, with £54bn spent on Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s sites alone. UK Singles Day sales reached £1.44bn in 2020 and look set to rise by over 10% this year. We believe Brits will spend over £1.58bn this time round.
‘Favourite UK retailers such as ASOS, M&S and Waitrose have held Singles Day sales on Alibaba’s Tmall site in recent years, with major UK brands such as Dyson, Burberry and Jaguar-Land Rover joining in the bonanza. UK stores River Island, New Look, Zavvi and Sports Direct have also offered Singles Day deals.
‘No wonder Singles Day is gaining in popularity. Aside from its celebration of solo living, it’s the ideal date for the organised Christmas shopper to grab bargain gifts before the real Christmas rush. This year, the first Brexit-era Christmas threatens piled up ports, delivery delays and stripped shelves. Singles Day couldn’t be better timed for early shoppers to avoid all these problems.
‘Last year, Brits once again spent more on the day than any other European nation. In fact, only Germany comes anywhere close to UK retailers’ sales on 11 November.
‘Singles Day really kicks off the seasonal shopping race. It’s not too soon to start looking at the other end of the online spending spree, however. What is the final date for ordering items online and for mailing a gift? ParcelHero’s ever-popular Christmas guide has now returned, revealing all our favourite stores’ final dates for ordering online before Christmas. This year, these dates will be more critical than ever.