Chinese Shoppers Shun Singles Day Frenzy as Economic Woes Mount

As of November 11, 2025, Chinese shoppers appear to be growing increasingly disenchanted with the annual Singles Day online sales event. According to the article, many consumers are worried about the state of the economy and feel overwhelmed by the near-constant retail promotions leading up to the shopping extravaganza.

In the past, tech giants Alibaba and JD.com used Singles Day to announce new purchase records, but they have withheld detailed sales totals in recent years, a concerning trend as the Chinese government attempts to stimulate domestic consumption. Shoppers like 29-year-old Zhang Jing say the discounts are no longer as attractive, and they are put off by the increasingly complex promotional rules that require multiple steps to claim discounts.

Furthermore, business owners like 42-year-old Shi Xuebin have noticed a "belt-tightening" trend among Chinese consumers, who are now more selective about their purchases and less inclined to buy things they don't absolutely need. As one Shanghai resident, Zhu, put it, "We're pretty practical -- if I need something I will buy it but if I don't need it, I just won't get it no matter how cheap it is."

This shift in consumer behavior is a discouraging sign for China's leaders, who have been working to boost sagging domestic spending and overcome a long-running property crisis and trade tensions with the United States.