The annual "Double 11" shopping spree across the Taiwan Strait is a vivid testament to the close economic and trade ties and shared lifestyle between the two sides, said Zhang Han, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
Zhang was responding to a media inquiry about "Double 11," one of China's biggest online shopping events. Many consumers in Taiwan are accustomed to shopping for quality, affordable goods on mainland e-commerce platforms during the shopping festival.
"The 'Double 11' shopping festival, organized by multiple mainland e-commerce platforms, is not only a festival for mainland consumers but also for consumers in Taiwan. Mainland e-commerce platforms provide people in Taiwan with a safe and convenient online shopping environment and an ample supply of quality goods. Our Taiwan compatriots can enjoy a good shopping experience and tangible benefits from diverse product choices and well-developed logistics and delivery services. Over the years, the consumption boom sparked by 'Double 11' across the Taiwan Strait has been a vivid testament to the close economic and trade ties and the shared lifestyle between people on both sides," Zhang said.
"Double 11" shopping spree reflects shared lifestyle across Taiwan Strait: spokeswoman
Chinese manufacturers and retailers are ramping up production, livestreaming and promotions to capture demand during the "Double 11" shopping carnival, as local governments and businesses seek to convert online traffic into actual consumption growth.
In Hai'an, a county-level city in east China's Jiangsu Province, a biscuit factory that has operated locally for nearly 30 years is running four production lines at full capacity, producing about 30 metric tons per day and shipping most orders the same day they are made.
"We've seen an increase of roughly 50 percent. Meanwhile, orders from our offline retail outlets and distributors have also grown significantly by more than 30 percent," said Ji Hongjuan, head of e-commerce operations at the Nantong Qixiang Biscuit Food Factory. Behind the order surge is logistics support. At the Hai'an postal transfer center, sorting machines and conveyor belts have been running smoothly since 06:00 daily, with parcels automatically sorted and routed to designated chutes.
In Pingdu, a city in east China's Shandong Province, the shopping festival has also fueled a consumption boom. At a local home appliance store, consumers are comparing specifications and testing products as they plan year-end replacements.
"For this year's 'Double 11' promotional event, we match in-store prices to online self-operated Double 11 rates and offer a 15-percent subsidy of up to 1,500 yuan (207 U.S. dollars) across six major home appliance categories. For 3C products, we offer a subsidy of up to 500 yuan on items priced under 6,000 yuan, with additional, stackable subsidies available for high-end models," said store manager Jiang Ming.
A local false eyelash factory is also seeing strong cross-border e-commerce orders, with daily output of up to 30,000 boxes bound for Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea.
Double 11, also known as Singles' Day, falls on November 11 each year. In 2009, Alibaba's Taobao (now Tmall) co-opted the informal holiday and turned it into an online shopping promotion, and the event has since grown into the world's largest annual e-commerce sales festival.
The shopping spree now spans weeks rather than a single day, with major platforms launching pre-sales in mid-October and extending promotions into mid-November.
China's Double 11 shopping festival drives surge in production, sales
