Bigger is not always better – or so retailers are discovering following the conclusion of the biggest shopping extravaganzas.
While Singles’ Day hit a record US$25.3 billion dollars in sales, it was Black Friday and Cyber Monday that dominated social media chatter in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Meltwater, a global media intelligence company, tracked online reactions in the lead-up to – and during – Singles’ Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday and found that over eight in ten conversations (82.92%) online were focused on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
“The rise of Singles’ Day in recent years has been astronomical, breaking records every year and drawing interest from around the globe. While it’s clear that Chinese consumers are spending and talking about Singles’ Day, this massive spend and conversation in China seems to have translated poorly to other markets in Southeast Asia. Black Friday and Cyber Monday still prevail, highlighting the fact that these markets have yet to be fully penetrated by the Chinese phenomenon,” said Neil Brennan, Area Director, Meltwater Japan and South East Asia.
Meltwater tracked online perceptions across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, blogs, forums, message boards and review sites from 28 October to 28 November 2017.
Indonesia generates maximum buzz
Regionally, Indonesia led the way driving the highest volume of online chatter with 88.6% of conversations centered around Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Out of the three markets monitored, Singapore generated the most social media buzz for Singles’ Day, accounting for 22.14% of the conversations, followed closely by Malaysia at 21.97%.
| Share of Voice | Regional | Singapore | Malaysia | Indonesia |
| Singles’ Day | 17.08% | 22.14% | 21.97% | 11.4% |
| Black Friday & Cyber Monday | 82.92% | 77.86% | 78.03% | 88.6% |
Alibaba for the win
Conversations across all countries typically revolved around finding good deals and offers from specific retailers. It is noteworthy that Alibaba was a major source of online chatter thanks to its record breaking sales figures. Lazada, backed by Alibaba, also drew a considerable amount of chatter following their Singles’ Day push. The largest trending topic in Indonesia was Taman Anggrek, a famous mall located in Jakarta, known for being one of the biggest in Southeast Asia.
| Trending Keywords | Black Friday & Cyber Monday | Singles’ Day |
| Regional |
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| Singapore |
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| Malaysia |
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| Indonesia |
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How the platforms stacked up
A majority of the conversations took place on Twitter, Instagram and online forums. Twitter emerged as the top platform contributing to more than half of all conversations about Singles’ Day and over 85% of chatter on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
| # | Top Three Platforms – Black Friday & Cyber Monday |
| 1 | Twitter – 86.51% |
| 2 | Instagram – 6.81% |
| 3 | Forums – 6.53% |
| # | Top Three Platforms – Singles’ Day |
| 1 | Twitter – 57.92% |
| 2 | Instagram – 29.67% |
| 3 | Forums – 11.68% |