Taylor Swift to promote global online sales extravaganza

One of the world’s most popular female pop stars will headline the world’s largest online sales event.

Taylor Swift, the multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter whose albums have sold over 40 million copies around the world, will perform at the countdown gala to Alibaba’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival ( popularly known as “Singles Day”). The 24-hour shopping extravaganza, held every Nov. 11 since 2009, routinely generates higher gross merchandise value (GMV) than Amazon’s similar Prime Day online sales event held every July since 2015. Last year, the total hit $30.8 billion.

Swift will perform at Shanghai's Mercedes-Benz Arena on the evening of Nov. 10, along with a lineup of prominent stars and personalities from China and other parts of Asia. The live show runs in the hours leading up to the kickoff of the sale. Swift, whose recent album “Lover” is a huge hit in China, is the only major American artist mentioned in Alibaba's press release for the event. Her appearance comes amid increased tensions between the U.S. and China. 

Over 200,000 retailers are participating in the 2019 edition of Singles Day, with one million new products available and more than 500 million consumers expected to participate - about 100 million more than in 2018. Alibaba estimates consumer savings from brand and platform promotions and coupons will be around $7 billion.