What US and Chinese shoppers bought on Black Friday and Singles’ Day – pet food, air fryers and face massagers
- Singles’ Day in China and the weekend from Black Friday to Cyber Monday in the US are watched closely as barometers of consumption in their respective markets
- Chinese consumers splurged on their pets and hi-tech skincare tools, while US consumers spent heavily on gifts, particularly toys and electronics
The year-end period is an eventful one for shoppers in two of the largest consumer markets in the world.
The same month, consumers in the US have been known to elbow each other and even get into fights in their attempts to grab heavily discounted flat-screen televisions or Xbox gaming consoles during the Black Friday shopping frenzy, the day after Thanksgiving.
The buying spree extends to the Monday after, known as Cyber Monday, when e-commerce platforms like Amazon as well as the online platforms of bricks-and-mortar retailers such as Walmart and Target typically offer steep discounts. This year, consumers in the US spent nearly US$17 billion online in total during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.
Market watchers often use sales trends and spending during these mega shopping festivals as barometers of consumption in the US and China, while retailers use them as an opportunity to analyse the items in consumers’ shopping trolleys and understand what shoppers want. Chinese e-commerce platforms like Alibaba and JD.com, in particular, often work with brands to reverse-engineer products that customers will want to purchase using shopping data.
That data has thrown up some interesting trends regarding the online shopping behaviour of US and Chinese consumers. Here are the ones that caught our eye.
