Manufactured Shopping Holiday

What it is

A shopping date that is set and promoted so that demand gathers on one day and attention follows. Sun and Creech traced how a celebration of being single among young people in China became, from 2009, the largest online shopping day in the world, while keeping an early cultural logic of togetherness through consumption. Xie, Yoon and Choo found that promotional, entertaining and social atmospheres around such a festival raised excitement, which strengthened intention to keep taking part.

In effect

In the article on why Singles’ Day works, it names the shift from a grass-roots celebration to a commercial festival.

What it does not say

The research describes one festival and its atmosphere among young consumers. It does not say that any date can be turned into a shopping event, or that such events raise total spending across a year.

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