UK consumers are expected to spend more than £2.2bn during this year’s Singles Day shopping festival, according to new forecasts from delivery specialist Parcelhero, as the global event continues to gain traction beyond its Chinese roots.
Held annually on 11 November, Singles Day, or the 11.11 Shopping Festival, began in China in the 1990s when university students celebrated single life by treating themselves to gifts. The date was chosen because the repeated number one symbolises solo living. Since then, it has evolved into the world’s largest shopping event, eclipsing both Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day in scale.
Parcelhero predicts global Singles Day sales will reach around $260bn this year, up 10% from an estimated $238bn in 2025. The company also forecasts UK spending will rise by a similar margin, exceeding £2.2bn.
“Growth may be cooling from the breakneck pace of the past, when sales jumped 26.6% between 2023 and 2024. But a 10% rise on a base this size is still an extra $22bn of global spending,” said David Jinks, head of consumer research at Parcelhero.
Growing popularity in UK
The event’s growing popularity in the UK reflects a wider shift in shopping habits, particularly among younger consumers. According to Parcelhero, UK Singles Day sales reached £1.72bn in 2021 and £1.97bn in 2023, while its research suggests spending surpassed £2bn last year.
“Singles Day is still far from being the phenomenon in the UK that it is in China,” said Jinks. “But for an event with so little general awareness, a £2bn-plus spend is a healthy result, higher than Halloween, and we expect the growth to continue.”
Retailers ranging from ASOS, River Island and New Look to Chinese marketplaces Alibaba, AliExpress and Temu have all participated in Singles Day promotions in recent years. Increasingly, merchants are extending offers beyond 11 November itself, turning what was once a one-day event into a multi-week sales period.
With Black Friday following later in November, Singles Day is increasingly becoming the starting point of the peak Christmas shopping season for UK retailers and consumers alike.
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