Cracking the code
NZ retailers keen for slice of Singles’ Day sales phenomenon
To mark the biggest shopping day of the year, New Zealand retailers are getting involved with a technology many are unfamiliar with — QR codes.
Britomart Group, together with consultancy firm The Agency 88 which specialises in Asian markets, has brought a slice of China to New Zealand in a bid to win over the consumer dollar on Singles’ Day.
Singles’ Day, or 11.11 as it is commonly known in China, celebrated on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, is considered to be the biggest shopping day of the year, surpassing eclipsing the commercial success of Western counterparts Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Each year billions of dollars are spent, thanks largely to Chinese internet giants Alibaba and JD.com which have in recent years made the occasion a shopping extravaganza, enlisting global celebrities and sports stars to help drive e-commerce sales.
Singles’ Day was created by university students as an anti-Valentine’s Day movement in the late 90s. It is now considered a significant event in the retail calendar.
A 10 metre tall QR code tunnel has been erected in Takutai Square in downtown Auckland, allowing shoppers to use their smartphones to scan a QR code from more than 30 local retailers and be directed to their websites to access discounts and special offers to mark the occasion.
Codes can be scanned directly through the phone’s camera function or using the WeChat app.
The tunnel marks the country’s first physical participation and local marketing of the event, which has traditionally has been online-only.
Last year, New Zealand retailers who participated in the event made millions of dollars in revenue from online sales, mostly from Chinese consumers. Cleaning products company Ecostore sold $2.36 million worth of product on November 11, while Fonterra clocked $28m from sales of Anchor dairy products and Anmum milk powder.
More than 30 New Zealand retailers, including those in the fashion, automotive, fresh produce and electronics sectors, are involved with the QR tunnel which officially launches today — hoping to engage the local Chinese community and wider Auckland. It will be in Takutai Square for the week until November 11.
“I do believe there is a massive [earning] opportunity for New Zealand retailers,” Nick Siu, director of Agency88, told the Herald.
“We know that Singles’ Day transacts more than Black Friday and
Cyber Monday combined. [We also know] increasing numbers of Kiwis are starting to learn about platforms like Alibaba and WeChat, so it only makes sense to bring the worlds together and see if we can create something in New Zealand that may have started as a Chinese-specific event but now expands to everyone.”
Britomart Group marketing manager Jeremy Hanson said the objective of the QR code tunnel was to “engage” with the New Zealand Chinese community.
“A lot of [retailers] had wanted to engage with Chinese New Zealanders but in some cases hadn’t really known the right place to start. Some of them knew about Singles’ Day, many did not,” Hanson said.
The tunnel is costing $60,000 to be shared among a range of parties.