KUALA LUMPUR: 11.11 or Singles’ Day, whatever day you called it, the date has been synonymous with sales everywhere. Companies began promoting even three weeks earlier, and consumers rushed to grab their items online once the clock strikes midnight on that day.
According to cashback platform, ShopBack, significant traffic from its website and mobile app recorded a spike in the first hour.
“It increases by more than 300 per cent compared to the same hour (12am – 1am) last year, and represents around 35 per cent of the whole day traffic in 11/11/2018.
“If we compare it to the same hour on an average day in November this year, the traffic growth is more than 1,200 per cent higher than usual.
“By 9.30am, we have achieved the whole day traffic of last year’s 11/11,” says ShopBack Malaysia's Country General Manager Eddy Han.
This year, ShopBack partners with more than 500 e-merchants in Malaysia to reward up to 30 per cent cashback when shoppers go through the platform to make purchases.
The list of e-merchants includes Lazada, Shopee, ZALORA, Alibaba’s group Taobao, Tmall and AliExpress, as well as Agoda, Booking.com, KLOOK, TnG eWallet, Boost eWallet and many more.
Besides cashback, ShopBack users also able to obtain exclusive promo codes and free shipping vouchers from the platform.
The top three merchants are (not in order) Lazada, Shopee and Taobao, while the top three categories are (not in order) marketplace, e-wallet and fashion and beauty.
Meanwhile, Lazada Malaysia also announced that its marketplace has smashed the 2018 11.11 sales record in 13 hours.
“We sold over 1 million items within the first hour of the sale, and delivered our first parcel to a customer at 1.20am this morning – phenomenal records. We look forward to celebrating the final tally later at midnight,” it says, in a statement.
Shopee on the other hand, recorded three times the orders in the region in the first hour of 11.11 compared to the same period of time last year. Last year, Shopee recorded a total of over 11 million orders in a single day (24 hours).
Users are given free shipping with a minimum spend of RM11, a cashback up to 111 per cent and discounts up to 90 per cent, from various brands such as Carlo Rino, P&G, Nestle, realme, Tefal, Mr DIY, Enfagrow, Nutox, Universal Traveller, Samsung, Watsons, Honor, HomeHuk, Photobook Malaysia, Vinda, L’Oréal and Unilever.
Shopee Regional Managing Director Ian Ho says the popular categories include Home Appliances, Groceries and Pets, Baby and Toys and Mobile & Accessories.
“Making an appearance on Shopee for the first time ever this 11.11 is fast-food chain, KFC whose combo meals, rice plate and cheezy wedges are seen to be flying off the virtual shelf proving that Malaysians love their finger-licking good chicken even online.
“Other products that remain a hit time and again include MILO powder, Drypers diapers, Wireless Bluetooth Earphones, Tefal Cookware and Photobook.”
Ho says retailers are also growing beyond the realm of traditional brick and mortar with joints like KFC, MBO Cinemas, Baskin Robbins, The Alley and more joining onboard Shopee’s platform.
To engage more with its users, Shopee runs live TV show in three markets, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, featuring celebrities like Diana Danielle, Sarah Hildebrand, Fahrin Ahmad and Sophia Liana as well as national gymnasts who will be taking part in various difficult, funny and scary acts.
A surprise performance by Amy Search and Elyana will also premiere tonight at 9pm on Shopee Live, Astro Prima or Astro Prima HD.
Besides live streams, Shopee also features more games to reward its shoppers with Shopee Coins.