11 Things To Get Excited About At The Alibaba 11.11 Global Shopping Festival

Tick, tock, ready to shop? The countdown to the most mind-bogglingly massive sale of the year has begun, and the sky's the limit, as millions of products in every category you can think of go on discount. Home furnishing, electronics, fashion accessories, kids’ necessities, skincare, food, unique hobby items and random knick-knacks — if you can think of it, chances are that you can find it on Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms like Taobao and Tmall.

Expect the shopping experience to be even better this year, as new service upgrades such as direct delivery and local returns make it a breeze for your items to reach you easily and quickly. There are also site-wide deals and steals galore and exclusive promo codes.

Yes, it’s a lot to take in, but worry not — we’re here to help you make sense of it all and navigate the crazy offers on Taobao and Tmall.

Here are 11 things to look out for.

This prime shopping period, when merchants on Taobao and Tmall throw up the biggest discounts of the year, is the perfect time to shop for Christmas presents for your loved ones and to reward yourself for yet another year of hard work. Been eyeing that new leather bag or in the market for fresh sneakers? Does bae need vitamins, perfume or a new game console? Perhaps your mum’s rice cooker just broke down? There’s no better time to buy, and no better place than this one-stop online shopping destination to get everything you want. And you can start adding items to cart right now — why wait?

#2: The sheer variety and colossal range of products across countless categories means you are likely to find what you want, no matter how unique or specific.

Whether you’re after a chandelier, camping equipment right down to a staggering selection of tent pegs, a telescope, every piece of yoga equipment you can imagine (and some you can’t), baby toys both from familiar brands and brands you’ve never heard of (arranged according to your child’s age) or a whole world of cosplay items, you can find it here. No matter how specific your need or how unique your hobby, it’s likely Taobao or Tmall has it, for a great price. That’s the beauty of an e-commerce site that has a range of products this jaw-droppingly huge.

#3: Not familiar with the Chinese language? It’s still entirely possible to enjoy the Alibaba 11.11 Global Shopping Festival.

Language barrier? No sweat. There are plenty of articles out there that teach you how to navigate the site, but basically, the first things you have to do are change the region to Singapore and set up an account. Google for step-by-step instructions on how to do this, even if you don’t read a word of Chinese. Then, you can use Google Chrome to translate most of the Chinese text on the website to English. The product descriptions may not be super accurate, but they mostly get the job done.

You can also search for items using the photo search function or copy-paste keywords in Chinese into the search bar. Pro tip: There are cheatsheets such as how to search for popular items in Chinese at Taobao SG’s Instagram ( @taobao.singapore) and lots of other tips and tricks — check them out to make shopping even easier. There are many ways to find what you require, and the world is your shopping oyster once you figure it out. Trust us, it’s worth it.

#4: Check out the new feature, Taobao Direct Delivery, for more shopping with less hassle.

Where previously you had to pay first for your purchases from different merchants, then wait for them to reach the warehouse before you can find out the consolidated final overseas shipping fee, Taobao’s Official Direct Delivery Service now allows you to know the cross-border shipping fee when you place your order. You can pay for your products and shipping fee together on the checkout page (see above), and your entire order will be shipped directly to you in Singapore. There is no need to consolidate parcels at the warehouse and pay a second time. Fab!


#5: For the first time, there’s a free local goods return service for Taobao and Tmall customers in Singapore.

Cainiao, Alibaba Group’s logistics arm, has launched a free goods return service for Taobao and Tmall customers in Singapore. Consumers will be able to initiate a goods return request in-app for eligible items, and Cainiao’s local logistics partners will reach out to the consumers to confirm the pick-up details such as date and time. Upon successful pick-up, consumers will receive a return order code which they can enter into the app to complete the return process and initiate the payment refund. A more fuss-free return policy means you can shop with more confidence — isn’t that great news?


#6: More awesome enhancements when it comes to shipping.

Cainiao has upgraded its functionalities to facilitate the amendment of shipping method (via air or sea freight) via the Taobao platform prior to a parcel being dispatched from a consolidation warehouse to customs clearance for export. A great service upgrade to level up the overall shopping experience.

#7: Revel in unique ways to make staying home fun with quirky kitchen appliances you never knew you needed.

Who knows — an ice-cream maker or cotton candy machine may be just what you need to beat those stay-home blues. Here are 5 unique kitchen appliances we’re definitely tempted to cart out.

Skewer-grilling machine, S$14 to S$110 — Because seeing sticks of meat kebabs rotating to grilled perfection on your own dining table may be what the family needs to make eating at home in fun again.

Four-in-One breakfast machine, S$65.50 to S$74 — Because owning one nifty machine that can fry eggs, make pancakes, boil noodles, soup and porridge and toast bread is enough to make anyone spring out of bed for breakfast every morning.

Ice cream maker, S$63 to S$69 — Because ice-cream is always a good idea, and there’s no better mood lifter. And how fun is it to make your own sundae swirls?

Fruit dehydrator, S$33.80 — Because homemade dried fruit chips and beef jerky just sounds amazing.

Cotton candy machine, S$42 — Because cotton candy is happy-fying. Need we say more?

#8: Level up with way more stylish versions of your fave kitchen appliances.

Air Fryer, S$73 — In the market for a chic new air fryer? This forest green version will make your kitchen look brand new.

Retro Coffee Machine, S$105 — An espresso coffee machine in a whimsical retro design in your own cool home cafe will elevate your morning cuppa and put you in a great mood for the day.

#9: It’s not Chinese New Year yet, but you can grab some hongbaos at the Alibaba 11.11 Global Shopping Festival.

Switch your Taobao app location to Singapore and checkout with your Singapore address to enjoy sweet promotions. Snatch up to RMB111 (S$23.40) sitewide hongbaos and shipping hongbaos in-app from Nov 4 – Nov 10. Minimum spend of RMB1111 (S$234) applies. There are limited quantities daily, and these can be stacked with cross-shop discounts, and other shop vouchers and promo codes.


#10: Free cross-border shipping with a minimum spend of RMB299 (S$63).

Did you say free shipping? Get your parcels shipped directly to your doorstep with $0 shipping fees. Save on the cross-border shipping fee and 7% GST on popular items across multiple categories.

#11: Are you a new user? Here’s a promo code. Good things must share!

If you’re a first time shopper, use code 2021NEW to get RMB20 (S$4.20) off minimum spend of RMB21 (S$4.40). Codes are valid for use from now till Dec 31, 2021. Limited redemptions, for one-time in-app use only. Other T&Cs apply.

Get shopping at Taobao and Tmall via the app or at world.taobao.com. Check out the deals and promotions here before carting out this 11.11!