China’s Singles’ Day sees surge in ‘nationalist’ spending as home-grown brands storm sales charts

Chinese designed and produced products dominated sales during Singles’ Day, the world’s biggest online shopping event

The popularity of Chinese-made goods is part of a trend known as ‘Guochao’, which reflects growing interest in local brands

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Home-grown products dominated sales during China’s Singles’ Day this year. Photo: AP

Published: 10:00am, 20 Nov 2021Updated: 10:52pm, 21 Nov 2021

From local fashion brands to traditional medicine, hot selling items during this year’s Singles’ Day shopping bonanza were mostly home-grown goods, reflecting rising nationalist sentiment among Chinese consumers.

Domestically designed and produced products dominated the world’s biggest online shopping event, with sales volumes of novelty items such as museum merchandise, for example, reporting a fourfold increase on the first day of discounts compared to last year, according to the Chinese Consumers Association.

The popularity of Chinese-made goods is part of a trend known as “Guochao”, which reflects growing interest among consumers in local brands, design and culture.

After the successful debut of Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning at New York Fashion Week in 2018, “Guochao” has taken off and come to embody a new wave of national pride and identity.

Until recently and in many industries, Chinese brands were seen as less trustworthy and of lesser value than foreign brands by Chinese consumers

Camille Gaujacq

Internet searches for domestic goods rose by 42 per cent during this year’s Singles’ Day, the steepest rise in the past three years, according to data from search engine Baidu.