[E259]Are Consumers Truly Benefiting from "Double Eleven"?

Are Consumers Truly Benefiting from "Double Eleven"?

From CRIENGLISH.com

Single's Day[光棍节] itself developed here in China in the mid-1990's as a sort of an anti-Valentine's Day[反情人节], with young single people using November 11th, or 1-1-1-1 on a digital calendar[电子日历], to treat themselves to gifts.

But in 2009, Alibaba took the first step in turning it into, what has now become, the biggest shopping day of the year, not only in China, but the entire world.

This year, it's expected over 100-million people will have made purchases[购物] from the nearly 30-thousand retailers[零售商] who are said to be taking part in this year's promotion[推销，促销].

Once the dust settles[一旦尘埃落定], it's expected over 10-billion US dollars worth of sales will be made this year, easily eclipsing[使黯然失色;超过…] sales made during "Black Friday[黑色星期五]" and "Cyber Monday[网络星期一(感恩节假期之后的第一个上班日的网购促销活动)]" in the United States.

"I like 'Double Eleven'. Everything is cheap on this day. This year, I'm only buying clothes. They are much cheaper online than they are in shopping malls. But the thing is, you've got to be careful on this day. You need to compare the prices offered in different shops, because some shops will raise prices first before they lower it on Single's Day."
"I sincerely have nothing to buy on 'Double Eleven.' For me, the most important thing is the practicality[实用性，实际性] of the products I buy. I don't want to turn my home into a storeroom[库房；储藏室]. For sure, some prices are very low, hence the appeal. But buying products because they're cheap won't do me any good if I don't use them."

Last year, and estimated 9.3-billion US dollars worth of sales were generated through Single's Day.

The sheer volume[绝对值;总体积;庞大数量] of products being moved can sometimes prove overwhelming[压倒性的；势不可挡的] for retailers.

"We have to enlarge our inventory[存货，存货清单] and get ready for the annual 'Double Eleven'. And on this day, we have to stay up[不睡觉，熬夜] very late or even work until the next day. The turnover[营业额；流通量] a few days before 'Double Eleven' is actually very low because people would rather wait to spend on this day to save money. In these two days, people who work in logistics and sales[物流和销售] are all tired out."

One issue which tends to crop up[突然出现] every year is the availability of products people want to buy. Zhao Ping with the Ministry of Commerce[商务部] says they've found a growing number of retailers, particularly those selling products online, are simply using Single's Day as a way to promote their own site.

"The 'Double Eleven' shopping spree[狂欢；狂饮] is more complicated[难懂的，复杂的] than it seems. Many online shops are involved in the promotion. But their supplies often don't meet the demand[供不应求]. Many people have found that the low-price products they've set their sights on[将注意力投向的;关注的] are gone almost instantly. Many businesses use this trick to attract customers to their online shops, benefiting only a very small number of their customers."

The Commerce Ministry is also warning consumers to be wary of[提防；当心] certain 'bargains,' noting many retailers will begin increasing the prices of their products in advance of[提前] Single's Day to try to fool shoppers into thinking they're getting a good deal with the Single's Day price-cut[ 降价；削价].

Despite the slowdown of the overall economy in China, some observers anticipate sales during this year's Single's Day promotion are likely to increase by around 15-percent compared with last year.

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua.