(1) China has 271 million online consumers, meaning that almost half of China‘s 591 million Internet users buy products online. E-commerce sites Taobao and Tmall, which saw a combined $1 trillion in sales in 2012, will both be running promotional campaigns during China‘s Singles‘ Day. Among the offers: 50 percent discounts on products like boyfriend body pillows and hoodies that read "I am single because I am fat." Jack Ma, founder of Internet giant Alibaba, told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang late last month that Alibaba‘s sales on Singles‘ Day 2012 were "nearly $3.3 billion"more than double the roughly $1.5 billion purchased on Cyber Monday in 2012. (2) Last year, it had an estimated turnover of more than 91.2 billion yuan (S$18.8 billion), breaking several world records for one-day sales. Alibaba  expects to surpass this record nextmonth.

Singles‘ Day, a twist on Valentine‘s Day, started in the 1990s as an obscure holiday but became a Chinese consumer phenomenon since Alibaba turned it into a one-day online sales extravaganza in 2009. (3) Although poverty and single are often linked outcomes in China, at least one web user was, sure of which was worse. "Spending Singles‘ Day alone isn‘t that scary," he wrote, "What‘s scary is when you‘re so poor you can‘t even enjoy Taobao‘s  Double 11."

(4) Singles‘ Day was launched by Chinese college students as a version of Valentine‘s Day for people without romantic partners. The Nov. 11 timing was based on the four singles of 11.11. (5) Unattached young people would treat each other to dinner or send gifts to woo someone and end their single status. It became a shopping bonanza as sellers of everything from necklaces to TVs moved to cash in on the marketing opportunity, and it is now China‘s answer to Cyber Monday in the United States.