Uk brands benefit from Alibaba’s Singles’ Day
The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s Singles’ Day sales soared to £23.81 billion ($30bn) this Sunday. And international delivery company ParcelHero says the strong demand for quality products means UK brands profited significantly from the world’s largest shopping day.
ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks MILT, says: “Alibaba’s Singles’ Day sales shot up 27% on Sunday compared with 2017, and Alibaba’s main Chinese rival JD.Com also reported a record £17.83bn for its own extended event. The early results show it was quality items that sold in larger numbers than ever before; and that’s great news for UK manufacturers and retailer taking part in the event.”
For example, amongst British brands enjoying a Singles’ Day bonanza, Dyson’s range of upmarket domestic appliances sold particularly well on Alibaba sites globally, and on JD.Com platforms as well.
Other British quality names enjoyed similar success. A £230 limited edition Burberry woollen scarf sold exclusively on Alibaba’s Tmall platform for Singles’ Day was revealed in advance, and completely sold out by 8 November.
And British car brand Jaguar-Land Rover sold nearly 100 cars through Alibaba’s local Taobao stores in an advance Singles Day promotion.
David says the move upmarket amongst Chinese consumers was noticeable: “For the first time Apple’s iPhones were the top-selling mobiles on Singles’ Day, beating bargain Chinese rivals such as Huawei and Xiaomi. That underlines the perceptible switch by Chinese consumers towards high quality brands over cheaper products which paved the way for British sales successes.”
David concludes that Chinese online sellers weren’t the only winners: “Brands from River Island to Nike, Zavvi and ASOS have all embraced Singles’ Day here in the UK and helped make it a new red-letter day on shoppers’ calendars.”
