Taobao “Double-Eleven”(11.11) shopping carnival total transaction amount is up to￥ 35.019 billion(about $5.9 billion). Cyber Monday (about US$1.5 billion in 2012) is far behind.

Taobao is the online shopping website, like ebay an Amazon, which provides a platform for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs to open online retail stores that mainly cater to consumers in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Double eleven, November 11, because of the four consecutive “1”, this day has been designated as “Singles Day” in China. Taobao took this date as a gimmick and carried out a carnival Shopping Festival which means holding very big sales on the website. The sales of last year’s “Double-Eleven” was 19.1 billion, and the number has increased 83% this year. Taobao successfully achieved a remarkable record in China, even in the world, and made customers buying without thinking.

However, while the consumers are exciting about the benefit they get from those big sales, the truth is that the sellers are the one who really benefit. The delivery industry has been challenged as a huge volume of products are sitting in the storages and waiting to be sent out. Consumers have to wait long time for their goods and the qualities of those products are not guaranteed. Last year, some parents brought fake big brands’ inferior diapers in the shopping festival, and made their babies suffered.

In my perspective, the huge success that Taobao achieved is highly contributed by the good advertising and business value preposition. Taobao successfully targeted the consumers and stimulated their desire to buy. The qualities of Taobao products need more regulations to stop from being not ethical.

U.S. Black Friday Versus Chinese Double-Eleven Day：http://technode.com/2012/11/30/u-s-black-friday-versus-chinese-double-eleven-day/