Are we consuming Singles’ Day or has Singles’ Day consumed us – our time, our energy, our relationships? Will the young generation only get entertainment from how they shop or what they buy? Consumerism is a controversial topic, especially in today’s China. Will there be an anti-consumerism trend if mindless buying and consuming of material possessions continue?
There is no consensus about what kind of future we are stepping into. No matter where the tide goes next, what we can be sure of is: with Alibaba's Tmall recently launching its 2.0 flagship store upgrade plan and moving towards a CRM system that increases the stickiness of its members, gaming on Tmall won’t die anytime soon.
This year’s Singles Day game called ‘Gai Lou’ (盖楼, the building of a virtual store in the shape of a tower, pictured below) makes it a trend worth noting, as ‘retailtainment’ (combining retail with entertainment) has always been a powerful weapon for Alibaba to fight rising costs of new user acquisition.