Alibaba held the first major Singles’ Day shopping promotion in China in 2009.
Alibaba organized the promotion through its Taobao Mall service, now known as Tmall. The event involved 27 participating merchants and used deep discounts to attract shoppers during a period that had previously been associated mainly with single people.
The promotion grew rapidly and became a major annual event for online retailers in China. Other platforms and brands later joined the shopping season, extending it beyond Alibaba’s own marketplaces.
A common confusion is treating Singles’ Day as a shopping holiday created entirely by Alibaba. The date’s cultural association with single people existed earlier; Alibaba transformed it into a large commercial promotion.