Over 80% China Consumers Are Planning to Shop on Singles' Day
YouGov’s survey shows over 80% of China consumers polled this year are planning to shop on Singles’ Day
Singles’ Day has become one of the biggest days in the online shopping calendar and this year’s sales are expected to be bigger than ever. But are consumers shifting the way they shop on 11/11? YouGov, as the leading global market research firm, polled 1259 netizens from 1st to 4th November 2016 to find out how consumer intents have changed since 2015.
82% of netizens polled this year are planning to shop on 11/11, just 1% down from last year, showing Singles’ Day is still hot and popular in China. Among those intended shoppers, there’s a higher percentage (92%) of repeated Singles’ Day shoppers than last year (89%).
Looking at the top 5 online retailers where respondents intent to purchase most items from on Singles’ Day, Taobao has emerged as the top online retailer among 11/11 intended shoppers. Taobao (88%) overtakes Tmall (87%) and becomes this year’s top online retailer. JD.COM (74%) and Suning (45%) remain at the third and fourth place this year, while VIP.com (44%) makes into the top 5 this year beating Amazon.
Alipay remains popular and WeChat Wallet is gaining mindshare in terms of payment method
Alipay continues to be the most popular payment method, with 85% of consumers intending to pay for items online this way. This was also the case last year, with 81% opting for Alipay. The number of people intending to pay with WeChat Wallet has leaped up from 15% to 27% in the past year, making it the second most popular payment method, pushing online credit card payments and account credit of retail platform into third place.
More people shop through apps this year and less people use laptops, desktop and tablet to shop
Shopping through apps has also jumped in popularity this year, with 40% of people intending to shop through apps, outnumbering the 37% that intend to purchase their products through websites. This marks a different trend from last year, where the majority of shoppers (52%) opted for websites, with 28% planning on shopping via apps.
The number of those shopping on their smartphones remains similar to last year (62% in 2016, 61% in 2015) yet shoppers’ use of other platforms has declined across all other platforms over the past year. Those intending to use laptops to shop have decreased from 46% to 10%, desktop shoppers have decreased from 43% to 24%, and tablet shoppers have decreased from 15% to 4%.
More women than men are looking to spruce up their wardrobe this Friday
Apparel, accessories, shoes and bags continue to be the most popular items for consumers to shop for on Singles’ Day, with 64% of people polled intending to shop within this category. It was also the top category for purchase intent last year, with the same percentage of those polled planning to buy such items. Women (72%) are more likely than men (57%) to be browsing for apparel and accessories.
Other popular categories that women intend to purchase this year include: snacks, bakery and confectionary products (52%); cosmetics and skincare products (49%); personal care products (42%); and household care products (29%). By contrast, the products that the most men are intending to buy include: snacks, bakery and confectionary products (46%); personal care products (36%); computer, digital products and games (35%); and household appliances and furniture (31%).
Spending trends also differ by age. Younger consumers are intending to spend less, with 75% of 18-24 years intending to spend under ¥1000. 35-44 years are planning to spend big, with 25% of those within this categories intending to spend over ¥3000.
Shungfeng Express is the most popular express delivery service in China consumers’ eyes
Consumers are open to shopping around, with 88% intending to compare the same product across different retail platform before purchase. Price comparison is the most important factor in deciding which retailer to use, with 52% of people citing this as the reason for comparing products across platforms.
In-app and social media advertising continues to be the most popular way for consumers to hear about 11-11 this year, with 50% and 44% of consumers noting that they had heard about Singles’ Day through these means.
This year looked into consumer satisfaction with different express delivery services for the first time. Shungfeng Express proved most popular, with 90% of those polled saying their experience “very good” or “relatively good” service.
Data from the research was collected among YouGov’s panelists during 1st to 4th November 2016 and was weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: China n=1259 (with 54% male and 46% female)
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