Today, I was browsing through some shopping apps, and I noticed that many of them were promoting something called the “618 Shopping Festival.” I was curious, so I did a little digging to find out what this whole “618” thing is all about.
What is 618?
First, I searched online for “618 meaning.” It turns out that 618, or June 18th, is a major shopping festival in China, similar to Black Friday in the US. The name “618” is a numeric reference to June 18th, just like how 11.11 represents “Singles’ Day” on November 11th.
History of 618
Then, I dug a little deeper into the history of 618. I learned that it was originally started by a Chinese e-commerce company called JingDong (*) back in 2010. Since then, it has become the second-largest shopping festival in China, right after Singles’ Day.
618 Shopping Festival’s scale and impact
Next, I wanted to get a sense of the scale of this shopping festival. From what I gathered, it is a big deal! Many e-commerce platforms in China, including Taobao and Pinduoduo, have adopted this festival and now offer major discounts and promotions during this time. Although the main event is on June 18th, the festival usually starts in late May with pre-sales, and the promotions continue throughout early to late June. Sales numbers have reached levels comparable to Black Friday in the U.S.
- Start date: Late May (pre-sales)
- Main event: June 18th
- End date: Late June
- Participants: *, Taobao, Pinduoduo, and other e-commerce platforms
Comparison with Singles’ Day
Finally, I compared 618 with Singles’ Day, which is the largest shopping festival in China. While Singles’ Day is more about celebrating being single, 618 is more like a mid-year shopping spree. Both events feature massive sales and attract millions of shoppers. It seems that 618 is catching up in popularity, and it’s becoming a significant event for both shoppers and retailers in China.
So, that’s what I learned about the 618 Shopping Festival today. It’s always interesting to discover these kinds of cultural and commercial phenomena from around the world.
