What it is
Singles' Day, or 11.11, began in China as an informal day for single people, with the date chosen because of the four ones in 11/11. Alibaba turned it into an online sale in 2009, and it grew into one of the biggest online shopping days in the world.
Today the date is used by online shops and marketplaces well beyond China, including in Russia and Kazakhstan. For a small business it is a chance to run a short, clear campaign before the busy end-of-year season, if you can keep your promise on stock and delivery.
Symbols: The number 11.11, a shopping cart, parcels, a countdown timer, a “treat yourself” gift box
Emoji: 🛍️ 🎁 ⏰ 💥 📦 💖
Colours: Bright red, black, gold
Hashtags: #SinglesDay #1111 #SinglesDaySale #TreatYourself #OnlineShopping
What to aim for
- Drive sales with one clear, time-limited offer (sales)
- Grow your subscriber list by asking people to subscribe for early access (reach)
- Clear last season’s stock and test which products people like most (insight)
Post ideas by format
Post
- A simple “11.11 starts tomorrow” announcement with the date and the three categories in the offer
- A “top 5 gifts to yourself” selection with a short reason for each item, without invented prices
Carousel
- “What is in our 11.11 offer”: one slide per category, last slide with a link or a button to the catalogue
- “How to shop smart on 11.11”: a checklist for a wishlist, a budget, delivery times and returns
Reel / short video
- Hook: “Three things in my cart on 11.11.” Quick cuts of items, with a countdown timer in the corner
- A 15-second parcel-packing video with the text “Your order is on the way”
Stories
- A countdown sticker to the start of the offer and a poll: “Which category do you want first?”
- A quiz: “Guess the product from the photo of its packaging” with a prize of early access
Ready-made post examples
Layouts we wrote as examples. Replace the details with your own business before you publish.
Tomorrow is 11.11, and our channel subscribers will see the offer first. We prepared three categories: for the home, for gifts and for yourself. Open the catalogue from the menu button to build a wishlist today, so that you can order in a few minutes tomorrow. Delivery times will be listed in the post when the offer starts.
11.11 is the day for a gift to yourself. We chose five care essentials from our range and put them in one place, from a night cream to a lip balm. Save this post and choose your favourite before the offer starts, then tell us in the comments which one you would add to your cart first.
POV: it is 11.11 and you have exactly one cart. I will show three pieces from our catalogue that I would choose first, and why they work with almost everything in a wardrobe. Which one would you take? Comment with a number from one to three and I will show how I style the most popular one.
Meme and trend formats that fit
- Expectation vs reality. Left: the carefully prepared wishlist and a strict budget. Right: a cart with fifteen unexpected items. A gentle self-aware joke about shoppers, not about customers’ finances.
- Drake-style choice. Describe the two-row choice format: “scrolling without a plan” versus “a wishlist ready the night before”. Draw your own version with your products.
What to avoid
- Do not announce discounts you cannot honour, and do not raise prices before the sale to make a discount look bigger
- Do not oversell a countdown: say exactly when the offer starts and ends, and what stock is limited
- Do not forget delivery and return information; a fast sale with a slow shipment spoils trust
When to post
- Start warming up subscribers about a week before, with a wishlist idea and a teaser story
- Publish the main announcement the evening before and the offer itself in the morning of 11 November
- The day after, thank customers, share the most popular items and move leftover stock to a short follow-up offer or remove it
What to check afterwards
- Orders and revenue on 11 November versus a normal day
- Clicks from posts and stories to the catalogue, and new subscribers from the teaser week
- Which categories sold best, to plan your end-of-year range
Add one line about your business: the free generator gives three captions with hashtags for the network you choose. No sign-up.