Retail

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China's Singles' Day saw muted shoppers this year—Here's why

20 Nov '25

4 min read

China's Singles' Day saw muted shoppers this year—Here's why

Pic: Shutterstock

Insights

Singles' Day, the world's largest shopping festival, recorded muted growth this year.
Despite sales approaching ~$*** billion, growth slowed sharply from **.* per cent last year to **.* per cent this year, signalling fading momentum.
Major platforms withholding full metrics indicates weaker results.
Rising costs and declining payoff are pushing brands to reconsider their participation.

Chinese research firm Syntun reported that total sales across platforms hit *.*** trillion yuan (around $*** billion), reflecting **.* per cent year-on-year growth. However, this is a steep drop from last year’s **.* per cent increase, highlighting a clear loss of momentum.

Originally inspired by the symbolism of **/**, Singles’ Day has evolved from a one-day celebration of singlehood into a month-long online shopping campaign. The **** sale period began on October *, making it the longest edition yet. Despite this expansion, excitement appears to have waned, with leading platforms such as Alibaba and JD.com continuing their recent trend of not disclosing detailed sales figures.