As the Festival enters its 13th cycle, Alibaba is placing greater emphasis on inclusiveness and sustainability across its ecosystem.

Please find a selection of quotes from Alibaba executives, retail experts and international brands, presented in chronological order and gathered by Alizila reporters.

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Axel Jürgensen, Export Director of Germany-headquartered supplements group, Doppelherz

“The cooperation with Alibaba is really paying off for us, especially in the run-up to Singles Day on 11.11. Every year, the Global Shopping Festival is one of our most important events and Tmall is one of our most important sales channels – that won’t change.”

Kerstin Erbe, Managing Director Product Management of Germany-headquartered retail store chain, dm-drogerie markt

“11/11 is the most important shopping event for dm in China. It points the way ahead for the upcoming months and shows us what products and trends our Chinese customers like.

“In addition, we can test new marketing options, for example live streaming or new attractive product bundles. This year’s 11/11 is very special for us because we introduce a new product to Chinese customers and we are going to cooperate with a well-known TV star.”

Andrew Seaton, Chief Executive of the China British Business Council

“If you are looking for evidence of the extraordinary size, dynamism and technological innovation of the Chinese consumer market, 11.11. Global Shopping Festival – with online sales of over £20 billion on one day – is it.

“With a population more than four times that of the U.S. and a rapidly growing middle-class – which will reach 770 million by 2030 – no other market can match China in terms of the sheer scale of the opportunity on offer for UK brands.

“This is translating to jobs, investment and opportunity across the whole of the UK. Understanding the significance of trade with China to our economy is essential to building a recovery post-COVID.”

Janet Wang, Head of Alibaba’s Tmall Luxury Division

“The pandemic has marked an important shift in consumers’ shopping habits. Since consumers can no longer travel overseas, they’re looking for different ways to delight themselves and improve their lifestyles.

“Consumers today aren’t satisfied with just two-dimensional images and texts … They want to use 3D technology to see the product’s details and texture from different angles, use AR to try on watches, jewelry and shoes. These experiences help close the distance between luxury brands and the consumer.”

Chris Tung, Chief Marketing Officer of Alibaba Group

“Over the last 12 years, 11.11 has showcased the tremendous consumption power of Chinese consumers and pushed boundaries for the global retail sector.

“This year’s Festival marks a new chapter for 11.11. We
believe we must leverage the power of 11.11 to encourage sustainable development and promote inclusiveness to consumers, merchants and partners across our ecosystem.”

Bruno Lannes, a consulting veteran of 15 years in China and Partner at Bain & Co.

“The 11.11 festival is still very important, it’s part of the rhythm of shopping in China. For brands, its very important to make sure that they have a successful shopping festival … They organize their marketing budget and their marketing campaigns around such events.” 

Davin Leong, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at British hairstyling and appliance brand ghd (Related story)

“As brands, we have a responsibility to pitch a little bit ahead, excite our customers in Tmall … Whether there’s an innovation for example, or a huge media campaign leading up to November 11… it takes a lot of planning.

“A lot of brands take the opportunity to showcase their latest and greatest, and of course there are value-added incentives for consumers to make purchases. You can certainly see [in] the whole consumer market leading up to … shopping windows, there’s just a lot of excitement.

“Brands obviously engage the media, trying to get a lot more awareness out prior to the start of the shopping festival. So, for ghd we’ve partnered up with Tmall very closely.”

Rachel He, Senior Analyst at Euromonitor International, a market research provider

“According to Euromonitor’s distribution data, e-commerce as a channel has taken around 60% of total personal care appliances volume sales, so large-scale promotions are indeed crucial tactics to drive sales and even milestones to launch significant new products for brands.”