Singles Day

Categories:: Special Interest
Tags:: Shopping
Where:: China
Date change rule:: Every November 11
Holiday emoji:: 🛍️

Singles Day lights up the calendar every November 11, evolving from a Chinese university tradition into the world’s biggest online shopping festival. Embrace your independence, treat yourself to something special, and explore the incredible deals available. It’s the perfect day to celebrate self-love and indulge in a little retail therapy!

Deals
Platforms
Social
Hero
History
Timeline
FAQs
Importance
Celebrate
Traditions
Related
Insights
Stats

Expected Singles Day Deals

Singles Day 2027 is set to bring another wave of unprecedented online shopping deals, building on its reputation as the world’s largest retail event. While official promotions are still under wraps, expect massive discounts from global e-commerce giants like Alibaba, Amazon, and JD.com. Major retailers such as Target, Best Buy, and fashion brands like Uniqlo and Shein are also likely to offer significant savings on electronics, apparel, home goods, and more. Keep an eye out for flash sales, limited-time offers, and special bundles designed to encourage self-gifting. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as November 11 approaches.

Platform Guide for Singles Day

TikTok

Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #SinglesDay. Share your Singles Day hauls, self-care routines, or funny single life moments.

Instagram

Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #SinglesDay. Post photos of your favorite self-care treats, new purchases, or solo adventures.

Facebook

Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #SinglesDay. Share your best Singles Day deals with friends or discuss self-love tips.

Singles Day Hero

Nanjing University Students

Singles Day originated in the 1990s among a group of male students at Nanjing University in China. Frustrated by the lack of a holiday to celebrate their single status, they chose November 11 (11/11 symbolizing four single sticks) as a day for self-celebration. Their playful initiative quickly spread, laying the groundwork for what would become a global phenomenon.

History of Singles Day

On 11/11/1993 a group of lonely, yet positive, students at Nanjing University decided that instead of lamenting their lack of a significant other, that they would instead celebrate being single. The reasoning? 11/11 looks like four, single sticks, strung together trying to make the most out of their time.

The anti-Valentine’s Day celebration of singledom caught on and spread across universities throughout China, generally characterized by fun, harmless events. For example, one student reserved every other seat in a movie theater, prohibiting couples from sitting next to each other during a screening of Beijing Love Story, an aptly named romantic film.

That level of mischief is the most that holiday’s celebration extends into anti-couples. For the most part, the holiday is a shopping holiday, thanks in part to Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang, who created the first Singles Day sale in 2009, sparking a trend that has surpassed Cyber Monday in single-day transactions.

While the holiday may have gone commercial, the celebrations and theme are still in line with its founding – to celebrate who you are, your friends, and your loved ones, regardless of what your relationship status is.

Singles Day timeline

11/11/1993

Singles Day is born

The accepted origin story for Singles Day is that a group of male students at Nanjing University decided that on this day they would celebrate, rather than lament, being single.

11/11/2009

Singles Day becomes a shopping holiday

Alibaba CEO Jack Ma instituted the first Singles Day sales in 2009, laying the foundation for the highest grossing shopping day of the year in the world.

11/11/2012

Singles Day surpasses Cyber Monday

Singles Day surpassed Cyber Monday as the biggest online shopping day of the year by more than double.

12/28/2012

Alibaba trademarks Singles Day

It took three years, but in December 2012, Alibaba official tradmarked 双十一 (meaning "Double 11").

11/11/2017

Singles Day hits record for most transactions

Alibaba's mobile wallet app Alipay broke the record for most transactions per second with 256,000.

Singles Day - Survey Results

Survey done by one of the top Millennial Marketing Agencies:

Let’s look at some other holidays that are all about being single.

Singles Day Around the World
Country	Holiday	Occasion	Date
South Korea	Black Day	South Koreans who weren't given any Valentine's Day gifts eat Jajangmyeon noodles, which is noodles with black sauce.	April 14
United States	Singles Awareness Day	The day after Valentine's Day single people gather to celebrate their single status.	February 15
Finland	Ystävänpäivä (Friendship Day)	Instead of celebrating their romantic partners, the good people of Finland spend February 14 celebrating friends and lovers.	February 14
United Kingdom	National Singles Day	A day for single people to enjoy and celebrate being single.	March 11

Singles Day Traditions

Singles Day – similar to Cyber Monday or Black Friday – is a shopping holiday. While it initially started as a celebration of oneself and love of oneself, it has evolved into a chance for individuals to treat themselves to goods and fun products.

Some traditions still remain – like taking yourself out for dinner, taking yourself out to the movies, sheepishly ruining dates, going on “dates” with your other single friends to celebrate independence and self-love. As it grew, and Alibaba got more involved, it became a much more consumer-oriented holiday. Now, traditionally, people buy things on Singles Day, which is part of how it’s become the biggest online shopping day of the year.

Fun Stats About Singles Day

$30 billion

In 2018, Alibaba generated $30b USD in one day, which is almost a 30 percent increase over 2017.

$1 billion dollars a minute

The first 85 seconds of Singles Day generating $1b USD.

12:00am

Before sales start on Sunday, the Saturday night beforehand features an electrifying show at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai where in 2018 performances by Cirque de Soleil and Mariah Carey were featured.

Singles Day FAQs

When is Singles Day?

Singles Day 2026 falls on Wednesday, November 11. It’s a fixed-date holiday, making it easy to mark on your calendar for self-celebration and shopping.

How big is Singles Day as a shopping event?

Singles Day is the world’s largest online shopping festival, significantly surpassing Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. In recent years, sales figures have consistently reached tens of billions of dollars, primarily driven by Chinese e-commerce platforms.

Why is Singles Day celebrated on November 11?

The date November 11 (11/11) was chosen by Chinese university students because the four ‘1’s visually resemble four single sticks, a common slang term in Chinese culture for an unmarried man. It was initially a playful nod to singlehood.

Is Singles Day only celebrated in China?

While Singles Day originated in China, its immense commercial success has led to its adoption by retailers and consumers globally. Many international brands now offer Singles Day promotions, making it a worldwide shopping phenomenon.

Singles Day Activities

Get out there and mingle, you sassy single
Singles Day in China got its start as "Bachelor's Day"—and many singles would absolutely love to meet that right someone. Why not throw a blind date mixer for you and your single friends? Who knows what could happen?!
Splurge on that outrageous something for you
Retailers all over the world are introducing unique, singles-oriented deals in Alibaba's footsteps. Take advantage of the special promotions—ticket for 1 to Fiji? Yes, please.
Write an appreciation list for yourself and post it to social media
Take a moment and list at least 10 things you appreciate about yourself—you're paying your own bills, you went to yoga class today, you're crushing it at work. Share it with your friends and see what awesomeness you inspire. Chances are, if you're loving on yourself, in short order, others will be too.

Take the Holiday Shopping Quiz

5 Mind Blowing Facts About Singles Day

It made $25 Billion in 24 hours
Singles Day 2017 was the single biggest shopping day in world history raking in more than $25 billion, a 40% increase over 2016.
140,000 brands listed more than 15 million products
The best selling products were in the wellness and baby product categories such as vitamins, diapers, and formula.
812 million packages were shipped
This colossal number is made even more mind blowing by the fact that the first order was delivered within 12.18 minutes of purchase.
1.48 billion online transactions were recorded
Alibaba's Alipay platform recorded 1.48 billion online transactions during the 24-hour period. 90% were on mobile.
Singles Day bested Prime Day in minutes
Amazon Prime Day 2017 sold roughly $1 Billion in merchandise over 24 hours, Singles Day beat that in 2 minutes.

Why We Love Singles Day

You get to shop for yourself
Sure, it's fun getting gifts on your birthday, Christmas and Hanukkah—but how can people know what you really want? Today, you get to shop for you. I'm not just talking about buying yourself flowers or a nice meal. Today is the day to show yourself some real love and appreciation. Go on, indulge. Get that new leather jacket, or fancy wine club membership—you have earned it.
You can see you really aren't alone
Most newspapers, magazines, TV shows and movies make it seem like everyone is coupled up. (Like, how come nobody ever chooses "it's complicated" for their relationship status, anymore?) But, since 2014, single adults outnumber married adults in the United States—and the difference is only growing. Take time today to revel in the knowledge that YOU, single person, are part of the majority!
You can do what you want when you want to
What do you want to eat tonight? Where would you like to vacation? Is it ok to splurge on those jeans you've been eying? When you're single, you can do what makes you happy. No compromises necessary.