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RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS
Online-to-offline Integration key focus
of Singles’ Day 2017
China's Singles' Day has grown beyond a Chinese "A key highlight this year was how eTailers started to
online sales campaign into an international, omni- open up more offline retail stores and offer the same
channel, retail-as-entertainment festival. discounts online in their offline retail shops. This helps
to provide consumers with a better shopping
This year, we saw an extension of the "New Retail" into experience and gives them the option of being able to
a wider physical footprint. The festival has become a physically see and touch the item and being able to
significant event – China digital natives are now leading purchase these items with the online discount. This is
the way with new forms of retail such as "retail- also beneficial for eTailers from the logistics
tainment", while flexing its economic and commercial perspective as it reduces the number of deliveries that
influence outside China. they may need to make during the sales period," says
Tay Xiaohan, Research Manager for Client Devices
Singles' Day has also become an international affair in Team, IDC Asia/Pacific.
many ways. For example, Lazada Thailand mirrored
Alibaba's Singles' Day practice to host a massive Some key highlights of the 11.11 sales this year
televised gala with celebrities counting down until the include:
shopping deals began at midnight.
• There was generally better integration between
Alibaba's gross merchandise value (GMV) grew by eTailers as well as the third-party retail shops. For
42.9% to US$25.3 billion, while its competitor JD.com example, consumers can head to specific clothing
reported US$19.1 billion in GMV generated, or up 50% shops, try on the clothes and purchase it using the
from a year ago. In countries outside of China, Lazada online discount. This option also enables retailers to
reported US$123 million of GMV generated, a 171% provide consumers with a better shopping
increase from 2016. Reports by Alibaba shows that Asia experience with more consumer touchpoints.
is indeed a mobile-first economy, with 90% of
transactions done via mobile and tablets, up from 82% in • eTailers also experimented with new offers, e.g. a
2016. 30-day price guarantee. If the prices of certain
items drop within 30 days after consumers
8 December 2017 - Digital Commerce & Customer Experience