China's Singles Day brings together three million workers along with 4,000 planes and ships all ready to cater to the world's biggest 24-hour online shopping event on November 11. While it has been thought that the global pandemic might stifle shopping habits, projections show that pent-up demand from shoppers could easily break new records this year from last year's 1.9 billion products ordered and delivered.
Singles Day also known as 11.11 or Double 11 in China, was originally a brainchild of online retailer Alibaba to celebrate the unattached. This was their inverse holiday to Valentine's Day. Alibaba is known for bringing in much revenue from the much awaited discounted sales and online deals being offered on the site.
Alibaba's logistics arm Cainiao said it is using more than 3,000 chartered flights and long haul cargo ships to deliver goods into China. At the same time, about three million people across Cainiao and its partners will be utilised for its global logistics in their designated warehouses and ports.
Adding to these, more than 10,000 mobile lockers will also be deployed to allow customers to pick-up parcels without the need for human contact. A total of 700 chartered flights will also be in operation to deliver parcels outside of China.
In 2019, Alibaba raked in 210 billion yuan (£23 billion) in gross merchandise value, which is twice the amount from sales made on Black Friday.
This year, Chinese consumers are preparing for an early Singles Day shopping spree with more than 350,000 deals and steals from local and international brands with even cars and houses up for sale.
Some of the expected popular buys this year are robot cleaners, vacuums and toolboxes, as people have taken more into home improvement finds as a result of pandemic restrictions. Health products, air purifiers as well as toilet paper and soap are also on the projected top buys this year. Notably, there has been a 3,000% spike in beauty products for men, the BBC reported.
Luxury brands are also hoping to find their usual niche shoppers eager to go on "revenge spending " as travel restrictions have put a damper on overseas shopping trips.