Do you ever feel like you’ve missed something but can’t quite figure out what it is? I get that way sometimes, especially when I drive to work and it takes me 20 minutes to realize I forgot my cell phone or wallet.
Well, on Nov. 11, many people missed something big. While most of us were at work or surfing the Web, Alibaba was busy working to dethrone an American e-commerce institution.
According to The New York Times, Alibaba processed more than $5.75 billion in payments that day, a record for a single day anywhere in the world.
This figure eclipsed the previous total of America’s favorite post-Thanksgiving shopping day, Cyber Monday, by two-and-a-half times, according to the Times.
Alibaba also reported Nov. 11 that it had 402 million unique visitors to its website, as well as 152 million parcels prepared for shipment. The Times cheekily noted that while shoppers bought a variety of items, one popular buy was bras. In fact, they sold 1.6 million of them!
The company has been using Nov. 11 as a shopping day for several years now. It also coincides with Singles’ Day, a quasi-holiday that began in the ’90s as a protest to Valentine’s Day, according to Business Insider.
I have to admit I’m fairly impressed with this turn of events. And sellers should take note: Never pass up a good opportunity to make a buck. Others aren’t missing out. In fact, other industry juggernauts, such as Samsung Electronics and Nike, have jumped on the bandwagon, the Times reports.
What holiday will be turned into the next big online selling extravaganza? Only time will tell.
Do you have any ambitions to sell in the online Chinese market? Have any holiday you think would make for a great excuse to sell and shop? Let us know in the comments below.
