3 Marketing Tips from Singles' Day
Published on 27 Nov, Farhanah Hussain
How was your Singles' Day promotion? Competing with so many other advertisements on your social media, websites, retail stores… basically anywhere where shops can reach consumers, it can be difficult for brands to put out their marketing messages effectively.
As one of the world’s biggest sales day, learn more about where Singles’ Day came from and other trendy promotions. With consumers growing ever more tech-savvy, brands have to keep up with the latest trends to stay relevant and stand out among the intense competition.
Brief background of Singles’ Day
Whoever thought that being single would make such a great marketing opportunity? Starting in China, it was created as a shopping day to embrace being single.
Imagine Valentines, but without the partner, and treating yourself with the things you would normally never buy for yourself. Of course people loved it!
Black Friday, who? While Black Friday remains a traditional promotional staple in American marketing, Asian consumers have long loved Singles’ Day.
In 2019, Alibaba alone reported USD$38 billion in sales. By comparison, Adobe estimated USD$7.4 billion on 2019’s Black Friday. Talk about wow!
The region that has found great success with Singles’ Day is none other than Southeast Asia. Giant e-commerce players such as Lazada and Shopee are constantly reinventing the wheel on how to offer the best 11/11 deals.
For example, we can thank them for the now-mainstream adoption of livestreaming e-commerce shopping, where brands hire hosts or even celebrities to showcase the products in a fun, dynamic manner to the consumers.
What can we learn from Singles’ Day?
Thinking of what your brand can do compared to huge established brands like Amazon, Alibaba or even newer players like Lazada? Marketing is for everyone, because who doesn’t love sales? Here’s a few things you can do to attract customers to your brand, grow your brand awareness and increase your sales volume:
Tip 1: Southeast Asian market is ripe for new marketing strategies
Don’t be afraid to break the boundaries and try something new! Using communities to garner support for your brand or promotion has proven that it works in every market, but particularly in Southeast Asia because of a variety of factors such as developing e-payment methods and high smartphone penetration.
With the pandemic in 2020 forcing lockdowns across the region, it has reminded brands that digital marketing is one of their strongest assets. Know your consumers and reach them on Tik Tok, Instagram stories, or even Twitch streaming. Livestream, make videos, do whatever that reaches your consumers best.
Tip 2: Don’t place all your bets on ONE promotional period
It helps if you make it an event! One of the best features of Black Friday is actually the weekend that follows it, which lasts all the way until Cyber Monday. Similar to that, with the 11/11 sales, Shopee and Lazada create promotional hype for 1/1, 2/2 and so on. They even break it down further to hourly flash sales during the day itself!
Tip 3: Customer, customer, customer
Be smart when strategizing your promotions! Don’t just hop into the bandwagon because it worked for everyone else - think about your consumers’ needs. Referral promotions, giveaways, rebates and other incentives are pointless if your customers don’t really want it.
For example, brands have to consider the implications of the pandemic on the consumer behaviour.
Surprise, surprise, out-of-home advertising has dipped dramatically and at-home media skyrocketed, according to the World Economic Forum. Digital marketing has always been important but brands need it now more than ever to engage with consumers.
Marketing looks different in the climate of pandemics, travel restrictions, and regional lockdowns but you can be effective, provided you do your research, know your customers and adapt to new digital marketing strategies. One of the best parts of digital marketing, as opposed to paying for an advertisement on a billboard, it typically involves a lot less money!
3 Marketing Tips from Singles' Day
Published on 27 Nov, Farhanah Hussain
How was your Singles' Day promotion? Competing with so many other advertisements on your social media, websites, retail stores… basically anywhere where shops can reach consumers, it can be difficult for brands to put out their marketing messages effectively.
As one of the world’s biggest sales day, learn more about where Singles’ Day came from and other trendy promotions. With consumers growing ever more tech-savvy, brands have to keep up with the latest trends to stay relevant and stand out among the intense competition.
Brief background of Singles’ Day
Whoever thought that being single would make such a great marketing opportunity? Starting in China, it was created as a shopping day to embrace being single.
Imagine Valentines, but without the partner, and treating yourself with the things you would normally never buy for yourself. Of course people loved it!
Black Friday, who? While Black Friday remains a traditional promotional staple in American marketing, Asian consumers have long loved Singles’ Day.
In 2019, Alibaba alone reported USD$38 billion in sales. By comparison, Adobe estimated USD$7.4 billion on 2019’s Black Friday. Talk about wow!
The region that has found great success with Singles’ Day is none other than Southeast Asia. Giant e-commerce players such as Lazada and Shopee are constantly reinventing the wheel on how to offer the best 11/11 deals.
For example, we can thank them for the now-mainstream adoption of livestreaming e-commerce shopping, where brands hire hosts or even celebrities to showcase the products in a fun, dynamic manner to the consumers.
What can we learn from Singles’ Day?
Thinking of what your brand can do compared to huge established brands like Amazon, Alibaba or even newer players like Lazada? Marketing is for everyone, because who doesn’t love sales? Here’s a few things you can do to attract customers to your brand, grow your brand awareness and increase your sales volume:
Tip 1: Southeast Asian market is ripe for new marketing strategies
Don’t be afraid to break the boundaries and try something new! Using communities to garner support for your brand or promotion has proven that it works in every market, but particularly in Southeast Asia because of a variety of factors such as developing e-payment methods and high smartphone penetration.
With the pandemic in 2020 forcing lockdowns across the region, it has reminded brands that digital marketing is one of their strongest assets. Know your consumers and reach them on Tik Tok, Instagram stories, or even Twitch streaming. Livestream, make videos, do whatever that reaches your consumers best.
Tip 2: Don’t place all your bets on ONE promotional period
It helps if you make it an event! One of the best features of Black Friday is actually the weekend that follows it, which lasts all the way until Cyber Monday. Similar to that, with the 11/11 sales, Shopee and Lazada create promotional hype for 1/1, 2/2 and so on. They even break it down further to hourly flash sales during the day itself!
Tip 3: Customer, customer, customer
Be smart when strategizing your promotions! Don’t just hop into the bandwagon because it worked for everyone else - think about your consumers’ needs. Referral promotions, giveaways, rebates and other incentives are pointless if your customers don’t really want it.
For example, brands have to consider the implications of the pandemic on the consumer behaviour.
Surprise, surprise, out-of-home advertising has dipped dramatically and at-home media skyrocketed, according to the World Economic Forum. Digital marketing has always been important but brands need it now more than ever to engage with consumers.
Marketing looks different in the climate of pandemics, travel restrictions, and regional lockdowns but you can be effective, provided you do your research, know your customers and adapt to new digital marketing strategies. One of the best parts of digital marketing, as opposed to paying for an advertisement on a billboard, it typically involves a lot less money!
