AliExpress, Singles’ Day pop-up successfully completed on the 7th and 9th
Consumers flock to the ‘11 Second Shopping Cart Challenge’
[헤럴드경제=강승연 기자] “Please put as much as you can into your shopping cart within 11 seconds. You can use the tool you have chosen.”
On the 7th, an Ali Express pop-up store was opened in front of exit 3 of Seongsu-dong, Seoul. There was a lot of tension ahead of the ’11 Second Shopping Cart Challenge’. In the middle of the pop-up, employees were constantly filling a large shopping cart filled with various daily necessities and foods, including hot chicken stir-fry noodles, mask packs, and toothpaste. Participants holding red shopping bags standing around quietly searched for the target. In his hands were various tools, from a large shovel to a spatula to a scrubbing handkerchief. Eventually, the host pressed the 11-second timer button with the word ‘Start’, and the participants quickly swept up the items in front of them. When 11 seconds ended faster than expected, a voice of disappointment was heard.
E-commerce platform AliExpress operated a pop-up store in Seongsu-dong from the 7th to the 9th ahead of Single’s Day (November 11th), the largest shopping festival of the year. The 11-second shopping cart challenge, which has been running online since the 4th, has been expanded into an integrated online and offline space so that you can experience it directly on site.
Visitors could tour the brand exhibition zone on the second floor, complete three challenges in the experience zone, and then participate in a game where they had to put products in their shopping cart within an 11-second time limit. The challenge consists of games that focus on the ‘sophisticated touch, visual acuity, and quickness’ required for Single’s Day shopping. These were easy and fun games to participate in, such as getting over 110 points on a finger punch machine, putting a badminton shuttlecock in the shopping cart, and clicking on the red shopping cart in the moving video.
This is a theme linked to the training in the advertising campaign, and it is said to combine experiential elements of the MZ generation’s tastes with ‘gamification (an immersion strategy that combines games).’ In addition, we added fun by running an online and offline linked program where participants who visited the pop-up could receive preferential benefits when participating in the prize event if they presented the record of the ’11 Second Shopping Cart Challenge’ conducted online.
From the first day of opening, long lines formed at the site and participation was enthusiastic. Although it was daytime on a weekday, we had to wait 1-2 hours to enter. Foreigners also stood out. There were posts on SNS (social networking services) verifying that people had waited for over 3 hours. One visitor expressed his feelings, saying, “The feeling of immersion was the best as I experienced challenges that I had only enjoyed on the app, and I was excited because the brand called AliExpress felt more familiar.”
The on-site enthusiasm centered on pop-up stores led to online participation, further raising expectations for ‘11.11 Single’s Day’. In this year’s Single’s Day, various domestic sellers such as Kyungdong Navien, Deojari, Urban Players, KAZT, and Suncheon Bay Fisheries will participate in various categories such as living, kitchen, lifestyle, clothing, and food. These brands offer discounts of up to 11,111 won or up to 50% through time deals.
This year’s Single’s Day is expected to significantly increase consumer participation, leading to growth for domestic sellers. The GMV (gross transaction value) of sellers who participated last year during Singles’ Day increased significantly compared to the daily average. It has recorded double-digit growth rates in emerging categories such as toys/hobbies, parenting/children, and furniture. AliExpress emphasized that this trend shows that Single’s Day is going beyond a simple discount event and is becoming a ‘win-win shopping festival’ that grows with sellers.
An AliExpress official said, “Singles’ Day is a festival that provides reasonable shopping pleasure for consumers and new growth opportunities for sellers.” He added, “We will continue to expand various benefits and programs so that consumers can enjoy shopping more happily and sellers can grow together.”
spa@heraldcorp.com
