--- title: "Is Singles Day (11.11) still China’s biggest shopping festival?" url: https://popularinchina.com/culture/singles-day section: "Culture" type: answer updated: 2026-10-26 next_review: 2026-11-15 status: checked author: "The Popular in China desk" publisher: Popular in China (https://popularinchina.com) license: Quote with attribution and a link to https://popularinchina.com/culture/singles-day --- # Is Singles Day (11.11) still China’s biggest shopping festival? _11.11 started as a student joke about being single and became the world’s biggest shopping event. It is still China’s largest sale by far, but the one-night frenzy has turned into a five-week season._ **Verdict: Yes** (仍是最大) — Still China’s biggest sale, now spread over five weeks ## Short answer Yes. Singles Day (双十一, 11 November) is still China’s biggest shopping festival. Data firm Syntun counted ¥1.695 trillion of online sales in the 2025 season, roughly twice the June 618 sale. But it is no longer one day: platforms start in early October, and Alibaba stopped publishing its own total in 2022. ## At a glance - **Verdict:** Yes: still the biggest sale of the year - **2025 online sales:** ¥1.695 trillion, Oct 7–Nov 11 (Syntun) - **June 618 festival, 2026:** ¥863.6 billion (Syntun) - **2026 dates:** JD from Oct 12, Tmall from Oct 15; peak Nov 10 20:00 – Nov 11 midnight - **In Chinese:** 双十一 (shuāng shíyī), “Double Eleven” ## How we know - **Total sales** (strong): Syntun counted ¥1.695 trillion of online sales from 7 October to 11 November 2025, up 14.2%. The 2025 season was seven days longer than 2024’s, so part of the rise comes from the extra week. [1] - **Against 618** (strong): China’s second-biggest sale, 618 in June, reached ¥863.6 billion in 2026, almost flat on 2025, by Syntun’s count. [4] - **Platforms** (mixed): Alibaba and JD.com did not publish totals. Tmall said its full-season growth was the best in four years, with nearly 600 brands passing ¥100 million in sales; JD said the number of buyers rose 40%. [6] - **Shopper mood** (mixed): A 2025 review found shoppers calmer and more rational; complaints about complicated promotions rose from 7% to 31% of discussion. [1] ## How big Singles Day has become Online sales during the Singles Day season. Early years are Alibaba’s own figures for its platforms; recent years are Syntun’s count across all major platforms, so the two series are not directly comparable. [5][7][8][3][1] | Year | Sales | Who counted | Note | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2009 | ¥52 million | Alibaba | The first Singles Day sale | | 2021 | ¥540.3 billion | Alibaba (Tmall, Taobao) | The last total Alibaba published | | 2023 | ¥1,138.6 billion | Syntun, all platforms | | | 2024 | ¥1.44 trillion | Syntun, all platforms | Up 26.6% | | 2025 | ¥1.695 trillion | Syntun, all platforms | Up 14.2%; season ran Oct 7–Nov 11 | ## Why 11 November? 11.11 is four ones, so Chinese university students in the 1990s took it as a day to celebrate being single, a counterpart to Valentine’s Day. In 2009 Alibaba turned it into an online sale, which made ¥52 million that first year. By 2021 Alibaba’s Singles Day sales had reached ¥540.3 billion. In 2022, when sales were expected to fall for the first time, Alibaba stopped publishing a total, and other platforms have followed. Today the best public figure comes from independent data firms such as Syntun. Sources: [7][5] ## What has changed The sale no longer happens on one night. In 2025 Kuaishou started on 7 October, Douyin and JD.com on 9 October, Tmall on 15 October and Pinduoduo on 16 October. In 2026 JD.com opened on 12 October and Tmall’s pre-sale on 15 October, with the final rush from 8pm on 10 November to midnight on 11 November. Livestream shopping and fast delivery have grown alongside the classic online stores. Instant-retail apps such as Meituan, Taobao Flash Purchase and JD’s instant delivery sold ¥67 billion in the 2025 season, up 138.4%. Shoppers have also cooled on the gamified discounts. Reviews of the 2025 season describe buyers as more rational, and complaints about complicated promotions and uncertain prices rose sharply. Sales still grow, but the hype that once surrounded the night of 11 November has faded. Sources: [2][9][1] > **Note: In China around 11 November?** > > Expect busy couriers rather than crowded shops: the sale is almost entirely online. Delivery can take a little longer in mid-November. If you have a Chinese phone number and Alipay or WeChat Pay, you can take part in the sale on Taobao, JD.com or Douyin like anyone else. ## Questions **What is Singles Day in China?** An online shopping festival on 11 November (双十一, “Double Eleven”). It started as a student celebration of being single in the 1990s and became a sale when Alibaba launched it in 2009. **How much do Chinese shoppers spend on Singles Day?** Data firm Syntun counted ¥1.695 trillion of online sales across major platforms from 7 October to 11 November 2025, up 14.2% on 2024. Alibaba and JD.com no longer publish their own totals. **When does Singles Day 2026 start?** JD.com opened its sale on 12 October 2026 and Tmall its pre-sale on 15 October; the peak runs from 8pm on 10 November to midnight on 11 November, and some deals continue until 13 November. **Is 618 bigger than Singles Day?** No. The June 618 sale reached ¥863.6 billion in 2026, roughly half of Singles Day’s 2025 total, by Syntun’s counts. ## Sources 1. [WalktheChat, The new normal: Double 11 2025 report (Syntun figures, 20 November 2025)](https://walkthechat.com/the-new-normal-double-11-2025-report-a-more-rational-singles-day/) — accessed 2026-10-26 2. [TechNode / PR Newswire, Syntun 2025 Double 11 promotion report](https://technode.global/prnasia/syntun-2025-double-11-promotion-report-the-gmv-during-china-double-11-shopping-festival-reached-1695-billion-cny-238-billion-usd/) — accessed 2026-10-26 3. [The Asset, China’s Double 11 sales rise 26.6% to 1.44 trillion yuan (14 November 2024)](https://www.theasset.com/article/52875/chinas-double-11-sales-rise-266-to-144-trillion-yuan) — accessed 2026-10-26 4. [The Standard (Reuters), China’s 618 shopping festival sees flat e-commerce sales (22 June 2026)](https://www.thestandard.com.hk/finance/article/335287/Chinas-618-shopping-festival-sees-flat-e-commerce-sales-as-shoppers-remain-cautious) — accessed 2026-10-26 5. [Caixin Global, Alibaba keeps Double 11 sales secret for the first time (12 November 2022)](https://www.caixinglobal.com/2022-11-12/alibabakeeps-double-11-salessecret-for-the-first-time-101964212.html) — accessed 2026-10-26 6. [Gelonghui, Tmall 2025 Double 11: nearly 600 brands pass ¥100 million (15 November 2025, in Chinese)](https://m.gelonghui.com/news/5118364) — accessed 2026-10-26 7. [The Business of Fashion, How Singles’ Day in China became the biggest shopping spree](https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/china/how-singles-day-in-china-became-the-biggest-shopping-spree/) — accessed 2026-10-26 8. [Adnkronos / PR Newswire, Syntun: 2023 Singles Day GMV reaches 1,138.6 billion RMB](https://adnkronos.com/immediapress/pr-newswire/sales-data-for-chinas-singles-day-shopping-festival-2023-reveals-robust-consumption-demand-syntun-release-chinas-singles-day-shopping-festival-gmv-reaches-11386-billion-rmb_1S2qeYpK2o60vY4WEeBcnN) — accessed 2026-10-26 9. [Sina Finance, 2026 Double 11 dates on JD.com and Tmall (12 October 2026, in Chinese)](https://finance.sina.cn/2026-10-12/detail-iniuypff8399972.d.html) — accessed 2026-10-26 ## Related - https://popularinchina.com/buy/what-to-buy-in-china - https://popularinchina.com/trip/alipay-wechat-pay-for-foreigners - https://popularinchina.com/tech/most-popular-ai-apps-in-china --- Canonical page: https://popularinchina.com/culture/singles-day