Why Singles’ Day is under fire on Xiaohongshu

As China’s largest online shopping festival concludes tomorrow, young consumers on Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) are questioning Double 11’s (Singles’ Day) purpose. What began in 2009 as an unabashed celebration of consumerism is now the subject of widespread debate about overconsumption, sustainability, and self-restraint. Fashion bloggers have resurfaced Vinted’s 2024 poignant short film Too Many? under the Singles’ Day hashtag, igniting discussion about consumption habits. Hashtags signal a cultural shift in shopping habits Viral Chinese hashtags such as “youthconsumptionconcept” (177.7 million views) and “lowmaterialdesire” (20.8 million views) reflect shifting mindsets among Gen Zers, who increasingly question the “discount illusion” — retailers inflating prices before slashing them during sales periods. One popular post reads: “Saving money is more of a flex than spending it,” encapsulating the frugal mindset that many young consumers now embrace and signaling mounting challenges for Alibaba’s shopping event. A festival driven by excess Singles’ Day, originally held annually on November 11, was launched by Alibaba as a one-day sales festival for China’s population of singles. Over the years, it has evolved into a multi-week retail marathon, akin to Amazon’s Prime Day or Black Friday. Many retailers urge consumers to buy in bulk, offering aggressive multi-buy deals and discounts that encourage hoarding. This year, the festival lasted five weeks, beginning in mid-October — its earliest start yet — as retailers sought to stimulate spending amid subdued consumer sentiment. As reported by Benzinga, Alibaba Group had a record-breaking start to this year’s event. Within the first hour of sales on Taobao and Tmall, 80 brands surpassed 100 million RMB ($13.8 million) in revenue, while more than 30,000 brands doubled their sales year-on-year. Beauty and electronics categories led the surge, boosted by new product launches including Apple’s iPhone 17 and Xiaomi’s 17 series. Despite these impressive figures, discussions on Xiaohongshu suggest a deeper shift in the public mood. While the five-week duration likely drove an increase in spending, young consumers’ appetite for the festival is waning. From splurging to saving: Gen Z’s value pivot According to research by Mintel (2024), Singles Day has transitioned from a festival of indulgence into one centered on value for money. Bulk purchases of household necessities have overtaken luxury splurges, underscoring a nationwide pivot toward practicality. The shift mirrors broader macroeconomic concerns: consumer confidence in China remains weak, and households continue to accumulate savings rather than spend. McKinsey reported that total Chinese household deposits reached 163 trillion RMB ($22.9 trillion) in the first half of 2025, with the personal savings rate remaining above 30% since 2020. Xiaohongshu has become a forum for reflecting on this changing consumption culture. The hashtag “changesinconsumptionconcepts” has amassed 354.1 million reads and 2.4 million notes, while related tags like “reduceshoppingdesire” (42.9 million) and “spendmoneywhereitcounts” (40.1 million) reveal the breadth of discussion. In these posts, users share “no-buy” diaries, promote secondhand trading, and praise minimalist wardrobes. More conscious, less consumerist? “This shift isn’t unique to China — globally, consumers across segments, including ultra-high-net-worth individuals, are recalibrating spending,” Xinyao Qiu, a Shanghai-based fashion and beauty marketer told Jing Daily, when discussing the “No Buy 2025” trend. “Rather than outright ‘no buy,’ I observe two key trends: one in, one out — the rise of resale, vintage, and auction markets — and a focus on true value and collectability. Brands must adapt to these economically driven shifts to stay relevant.” “There’s definitely been a surge in more conscious consumption in China within the past year or so,” says Greg Grigorian, editor-in-chief of Playground, Pop Mart’s youth culture magazine. “But it’s not necessarily about anti-capitalism. The biggest reason is the slowing economy and the lack of confidence young people have in the future. Many are just being more careful with their cash. A more relevant trend here is the ‘long-term style mindset’ — dressing in timeless ways that don’t expire with a single season.” Discussions on Xiaohongshu mirror the broader “rational consumption” narrative emerging across China’s youth economy. Yet, the data shows China’s retail engine is far from stalling. McKinsey’s May 2025 report found that retail sales grew 5% year-on-year in the first half of the year, with the 618 Shopping Festival registering a 15.2% YoY increase in gross merchandise value, according to market research firm Syntun. Extending the shopping festival’s duration is unlikely to sustain it, particularly as millions of young netizens critique it on Xiaohongshu. As Gen Z’s purchasing power grows, the future of shopping festivals in China may depend less on huge discounts, and more on redefining what good value means.

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Why Singles’ Day is under fire on Xiaohongshu