Alibaba's Singles' Day sales see strong demand for designer toys, pet products

Alibaba Group Holding has highlighted strong demand for emerging product categories such as designer toys and pet products during the Singles' Day shopping festival, in the latest sign of a recovery in consumer sentiment in the world's second-largest economy.

The Singles' Day event, the world's largest online retail extravaganza, has seen strong growth in sales of designer toys, pet products as well as niche home appliances and furniture, according to Taobao and Tmall Group (TTG), the domestic e-commerce unit of Alibaba. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

Alibaba kicked off its promotions for Singles' Day on October 14, starting with a presale period when consumers could pay a deposit on goods to guarantee lower prices. The campaign spans almost a month in two phases. As of October 24, Taobao and Tmall said there was "solid momentum" in the initial sales period, with 284 brands surpassing 100 million yuan (US$14 million) each in sales.

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Workers deliver parcels to a JD.com distribution center in Beijing, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. Photo: AP alt=Workers deliver parcels to a JD.com distribution center in Beijing, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. Photo: AP>

Popular merchandise this year include niche products like Jellycat, a British soft toy brand that is gaining popularity among young Chinese. The company recorded higher sales "in the opening minute" of its first checkout period this year - which lasted from October 21 to 24 - than it did in the entire first day last year, according to data from TTG. Pet products, including pet food, also proved to be in high demand, with 658 brands doubling their sales in the first four hours compared to the same period last year.

Overall, online consumer spending has picked up. The three major e-commerce platforms - Tmall and Taobao, JD.com and ByteDance's Douyin - saw average daily sales of cosmetics and designer toys each soar five-fold between October 14 and October 24, compared with the daily average during the first nine months of the year, according to data from consultancy Meritco Services.

Sales of outdoor gear and pet products grew roughly fourfold during the same period, Meritco said.

People ride scooters past a JD.com ad promoting Singles' Day in Beijing, October 26, 2023. Photo: Reuters alt=People ride scooters past a JD.com ad promoting Singles' Day in Beijing, October 26, 2023. Photo: Reuters>

Among the three marketplaces, Tmall and Taobao dominated in several categories, including designer toys and pet products, with sales accounting for 70 per cent and 66 per cent between October 14 and October 24, respectively. Cosmetics and apparel sold on Tmall and Taobao contributed to half of the total sales achieved by the three platforms, Meritco said.

Meanwhile, Alibaba's logistics arm Cainiao has started providing services on rival platform JD.com, as Chinese tech giants move to tear down digital walls that once separated their ecosystems.

Starting Monday, third-party merchants on JD.com were offered the option of using courier services from Cainiao, and from next month they will be able to have large furniture and home appliances shipped, delivered and installed by Cainiao personnel, according to a statement by Cainiao on Tuesday.

The move came days after Alibaba began working with JD.com's logistics services, from warehousing to shipping, on its Taobao and Tmall marketplaces.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.