Singles’ Day 2021 Recap: Online Retail and Travel Sales Rise YoY in APAC | Criteo

Meet Criteo GO: now with access to emerging advertising opportunities inside ChatGPT.

Singles’ Day 2021 Recap: Online Retail and Travel Sales Rise YoY in APAC

Our sales data shows a strong Singles' Day for retailers in China and Southeast Asia this year. See which countries and categories won big in 2021.

The world’s largest annual shopping event, Singles’ Day, posted record numbers again this year. Alibaba, which began offering Singles’ Day sales at the beginning of November, said it raked in $84.5 billion in sales from November 1 through the actual event on November 11. Though this was a record-breaking amount, it was a smaller year-over-year increase than in years past (+8% as opposed to +26% last year vs. 2019).

Greater China: Retail and Travel Sales See Double Digit Growth YoY

In Greater China, retail sales on Singles’ Day were up nearly 20% vs. 2020. Taiwan, in particular, had a strong year, with retail sales that were up 22%.

Travel sales in Greater China also showed growth, posting a 14% improvement over 2020 numbers.

Southeast Asia: Massive Growth in Vietnam and Singapore

Southeast Asia recorded a more moderate increase in retail sales, with a 4% jump year over year. There were a few countries within the region, however, that had significant growth year over year, including Vietnam (+35%) and Singapore (+22%). Overall, retail online sales were up 260% compared to the average during the last week of October 2021.

Travel sales also saw significant growth at +97% vs. 2020. Overall, in APAC, travel bookings were up 20% YoY during the first half of November.

Singles’ Day is Becoming More Popular in Western Countries

Interestingly, Singles’ Day showed a strong upward trend in Europe this year. Sales were up respectively by 80%, 68%, and 57% in Italy, Spain, and France, compared to the average in the last week of October 2021. Other European countries also showed a significant increase in online sales, such as Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands (35%, 22%, and 16%).

For more holiday data and strategies, download The 2021 Holiday Commerce Report:

Ann Pyle
Ann revels in finding the simplest and clearest way to convey a thought. Her favorite word is 'moxie', which she tries to embody whenever possible. She's been developing content strategies and writing for the tech and B2B space for more than a decade. This, along with her SEO and advertising agency ...
Senior Manager Global Content