Singles' Day is the globe's biggest shopping holiday, but most Americans don't know what it is. 

You've heard of (and participated in)&nbsp;shopping holidays like <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop%20culture/black-friday-2019-deals-predictions">Black Friday</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/28/smarter-living/prime-day-what-to-avoid.html">Amazon Prime Day</a>, but China's biggest shopping holiday, Singles' Day, outdoes all of those as the largest physical and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/best-online-vintage-shops">online retail</a>&nbsp;day in the entire world. The shopping festival, also known as Double 11, takes place&nbsp;on November 11 each year, chosen for the date's abundance of single digits.
Singles' Day began in the 1990s as the brainchild of a group of university students with the goal to celebrate <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop%20culture/good-dating-apps-ranking">single</a> living. In 2009,&nbsp;Alibaba took over the holiday, marketing it as a festival for singles to&nbsp;treat themselves with retail therapy as a distraction from their relationship status.&nbsp;More than just a day for shopping, the holiday&nbsp;launches with an opening gala that has featured performances by <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-anniversary">Mariah Carey</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/every-taylor-swift-album-era-style" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Taylor Swift</a>, and Pharrell Williams. Growing to epic proportions in 2015, Alibaba set a Guinness World Record for the highest online shopping revenue ever generated in a 24-hour period.&nbsp;

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Just like Black Friday, brands and retailers increase excitement for the holiday by launching <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/best-memorial-day-sales-clothing-shoes-handbags">pre-sales</a> leading up to the actual date of the shopping event. It's also become common to incorporate gaming, livestreams, and exclusive content into the <a href="https://www.voguebusiness.com/consumers/singles-day-2020-west-brands">Singles' Day experience</a>. This year, Alibaba even decided to host two Singles' Day celebrations, one running from November 1 to November 3, and the second beginning on November 11, so shoppers have twice the opportunity to score a great deal, and likewise for retailers hit by the coronavirus to benefit from the holiday's success.
With China's booming luxury market,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/professional/how-luxury-brands-can-improve-their-singles-day-strategies">many high fashion&nbsp;labels participate</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;the festival, and for 2020, Christian Dior is <a href="https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/dior-releases-first-singles-day-capsule-china-1234633089/">releasing a special capsule collection</a> dedicated to Singles' Day. While primarily targeted toward China, some Western retailers have also hopped on the trend after seeing its rapid growth.&nbsp;
Overall, Alibaba's goal is to bring international products to the Chinese consumer market. And while Singles' Day hasn't broached the U.S. entirely, a country that loves its shopping holidays, the embrace of the China-based international online retail event has brought participation from major names like Este&eacute; Lauder, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/net-a-porter-celebrates-20-years">Net-A-Porter</a>, and&nbsp;Apple.

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It only makes sense that as culture universally becomes more international, Singles Day will join the lineup of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/megan-thee-stallion-yara-shahidi-coach-holiday-movie">holiday</a> shopping events, right alongside&mdash;or even more highly anticipated than&mdash;Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which have established themselves as modern American <a href="http://https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/camila-morrone-coach-holiday-campaign-interview">holiday traditions</a>.&nbsp;

What is Singles' Day? The Chinese Shopping Holiday That Puts Black Friday to Shame

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