• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
China

Alibaba’s Singles’ Day Will Break Records Again This Year. Here’s What Donald Trump Can Learn From That

By
TIME
TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
TIME
TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 10, 2016, 4:48 AM ET
General Images Of Alibaba As Company Plans IPO For 2014
The Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. website, displayed on a Samsung Electronics Co. tablet, is seen in an arranged photograph in Hong Kong, China, on Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. Bloomberg via Getty Images

Sales for the world’s largest online shopping event, Singles’ Day, are likely to reflecting the sustained power of a demographic that has recently thought to be suffering from jitters: the Chinese consumer.

According to Bloomberg, younger and wealthier Chinese buyers will drive sales for the event, which is hosted by Alibaba (BABA).

The Chinese e-commerce giant’s event raked in 91.2 billion yuan ($13.5 billion) in 2015—that’s quadruple the haul of Cyber Monday in the U.S. And this year’s sales—which Bloomberg says will increasingly be influenced by international trends—are projected to be even bigger.

The message for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump? China’s growth is increasingly driven by its consumers rather than its factories.

That runs counter to much of the president-elect’s rhetoric, which played on the idea of an unscrupulous China stealing jobs from hard-working Americans. His proposed solution of more tariffs and protectionism was key to his victory in the rust belt states.

But in October, Alibaba’s chief executive Daniel Zhang told reporters, “Last year we brought many international brands to China for the first time.”

This year Alibaba wants to connect domestic and international buyers and sellers. Companies such as U.S. department store giant Macy’s, which has an outlet on Alibaba’s Tmall, are already planning to capitalize on China’s spending power. Bloomberg reports that other global brands, from Italian coffee makers to German manufacturers of bathroom fittings, are planning to take advantage of the bonanza.

For more on online shopping, see Fortune’s video:

Nov. 11 will be the 8th annual Singles’ Day. The day is a holiday on which China’s many single people buy gifts and other treats for themselves. Alibaba began marking it in 2009 with just 27 merchants, but it has grown into a vast enterprise since then.

This year’s event had American pop icon Katy Perry slated as its global ambassador. But on Thursday, the ‘California Gurls’ singer pulled out of the extravaganza without explanation, Bloomberg reported. Perry’s withdrawal follows a flurry of tweets expressing her disappointment at the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections.

Gonna cry my false eye lashes off tonight. ❤️🙏🏼🇺🇸

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) November 9, 2016

WE WILL NEVER BE SILENCED. #LOVETRUMPSHATE

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) November 9, 2016

David Beckham will now headline the show instead.

This story has been updated.

About the Author
By TIME
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
0

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Law
Amazon is cutting checks to millions of customers as part of a $2.5 billion FTC settlement. Here's who qualifies and how to get paid
By Sydney LakeJanuary 6, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with 'zero' work experience because she 'thanked the security guard by name' before the interview
By Emma BurleighJanuary 8, 2026
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Workplace Culture
Amazon demands proof of productivity from employees, asking for list of accomplishments
By Jake AngeloJanuary 8, 2026
20 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
AI layoffs are looking more and more like corporate fiction that's masking a darker reality, Oxford Economics suggests
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 7, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
Google billionaire Larry Page copies the Jeff Bezos playbook, buying a $173 million Miami compound that will save him millions in taxes
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 8, 2026
18 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Crypto
Russia and Iran are increasingly turning to crypto—especially stablecoins—to avoid sanctions, report finds
By Carlos GarciaJanuary 8, 2026
1 day ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.