Did you like Black Friday, the commercial holiday from the United States and Canada, which is held on the Friday after Thanksgiving? You'll love Single Day, its Chinese equivalent. To find its origins, you have to go back to 2009. At that time, the Chinese e-commerce giant was ready to transform what had been a popular festival at Nanjing University in China since the 1990s into a national consumerist mass. Originally, Chinese students wanted to break away from the feeling of being single, and conceived of this "Singles' Day" as an alternative to Valentine's Day. The date of 11.11 is chosen with reference to the number 1, which in this context represents individuality.
Under the aegis of the multinational AliBaba, the Single Day became a commercial machine with thunderous success thanks to brands that offered low prices on a wide range of products. The figures for the 2022 edition speak for themselves: 290,000 participating companies, $84.5 billion in revenue, all with the support of celebrities and a live broadcast on television.
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Gradual release in France
Since 2017, the concept has been gradually imported into France, still under the impetus of AliBaba and its e-commerce site AliExpress. This year, in addition to the Asian group, Temu, Fnac, Darty, SFR, Bouygues, Rakuten, Boulanger, Cdiscount and Sephora - to name but a few - are offering discounts of up to 80% of the original price.
Surfing on the trend, Guillaume Ringele created six years ago SingleDayFrance.com, a website that lists all the available offers. "Brands send me a preview of their promotions so that I can highlight them," explains the entrepreneur. According to him, Single Day is starting to make itself known in the country, although it is still far from the effervescence generated by its American cousin Black Friday. 10 years ago, Guillaume Ringele had already created a website on Black Friday modelled on the same model. "At the moment, it's not comparable," he admits.
However, he observes an increase in demand year after year. "Merchants heard about it last year, so they're giving it a try," says the entrepreneur. "However, historic brands are taking their time before taking the plunge," he says. "A marketing manager at Fnac explained to me that they didn't immediately jump at this opportunity, unlike a Cdiscount for example," says the specialist.
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Towards a saturation of promotions?
However, the gradual accumulation of offers, in particular the evolution of Black Friday, could hinder the popularization of Single Day among French consumers. "Two years ago, some brands started offering a Black Week. This year, we're hearing about Black Month, Black November. After that, it'll be the Black Year," jokes Guillaume Ringele. "In the U.S., they even have Halloween Deals on the evening of October 31," he adds. The entrepreneur still believes that the Single Day has a better chance of success than the French Days, launched in 2018 by French sites. These are held twice a year in spring and autumn, to boost activity during these off-peak periods.
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Black Friday has become unbeatable," says the site's creator. "It marks the end of this promotional period that includes Single Day, with Christmas at the end as the goal. After that, it's too late, people have missed the boat and prices are back to normal." Ultimately, for the French consumer, the difference between Single Day and Black Friday could crystallize on the type of products sought. "On November 11, Chinese brands will be more aggressive in their offers than on Black Friday, and vice versa for American brands. It's cultural," says Guillaume Ringele. "And there's room for both."