News > China’s ‘Single’s Day’ shopping fest subdued by tech crackdown

China’s ‘Single’s Day’ shopping fest subdued by tech crackdown

Singles’ Day has become a closely watched gauge of consumer sentiment in the world’s second-largest economy. China on Thursday held a subdued version of its annual “Single’s Day” shopping spree, shorn of the usual boasting on sales volume as the country’s chastened eCommerce sector kept a lower profile amid a government crackdown on platforms such as Alibaba.

“Single’s Day”—so-called for its 11.11 date—began more than a decade ago and for years was a one-day, 24-hour event.