U.S. Businesses Make Record Sales During World’s Largest Shopping Event
Alibaba held its 13th annual 11.11 Global Shopping Festival last month. The event, also known as “Singles’ Day,” is the world’s largest shopping event, enabling businesses from around the world to reach over 900 million Chinese consumers. More than 290,000 brands participated, including thousands of U.S. businesses, big and small.
U.S. Brands Discuss Power of 11.11 at NYC Panel and Livestream
At the beginning of the 11.11 Festival, founders and executives from several U.S. brands joined a panel in New York to discuss the opportunities provided by Alibaba’s platforms. Panelists included Amanda Baldwin, CEO of Supergoop!; Isabelle Fevrier, CEO of Mansur Gavriel; Lauren Parisier, president and co-founder of basq NYC; and Gabby Hirata, president and CEO of DVF; who shared their experiences entering the Chinese market and what it is like to engage with Chinese consumers on Alibaba’s platforms.
“Everyone talks about the small business, but I am the small business. To have the opportunity to have a partner like Alibaba’s Tmall to help you get out there, to help you tell your story and understand what you’re trying to do, it’s amazing,” noted Lauren Parisier of basq NYC, a maternity skincare brand.
Amanda Baldwin, CEO of Supergoop!, explained that her expectations had been exceeded since partnering with Alibaba and the platform’s tools provided the opportunity for her brand to learn and grow over time. “We became Alibaba’s number one skincare launch of the year in 2020, and we’re 1,000 times what we expected to do. The story of perseverance and plowing through with your plans is what we’ve been doing the last 18 months.”
Isabelle Fevrier added that Mansur Gavriel had recently completed its first livestream with Alibaba and noted that the event showed how innovative marketing can help it stand out in the Chinese market. “This is a great tool in terms of reaching a much broader audience and figuring out what resonated with them.”
After the panel, DVF President and CEO Gabby Hirata led a livestream event with Talita von Furstenberg, model, and Diane von Furstenberg’s granddaughter. The livestream connected DVF with over 6,000 Chinese consumers to showcase the brand’s iconic looks and flagship store in New York. Chinese consumers asked questions about colors, sizing and fit, and received a special VIP experience and product promotions for the 11.11 holiday.
The 11.11 Global Shopping Festival exemplifies how U.S. brands are pioneering new retail experiences and meeting Chinese consumer demand using Alibaba’s innovative tools.
“If you want to know what the future of retail will be, look at China today.”
– Michael Evans, President, Alibaba