Online stores create buying festivals with unbelievable discounts
雙12促銷折扣活動再推網購新高潮

On November the 11th, online stores launched an Eleven Eleven Sales promotion and secured 6.7 billion yuan in just the first hour of the day. Now they’re trying to recreate the success with what they’ve dubbed the "Twelve Twelve Sales". So is it raking in the customers and profits as hoped? We visited some eager buyers at midnight on December the 12th to find out.

This is a fierce battle that requires every bit of attention.

When the clock strikes twelve, the buying begins.

"Hopefully I will get something, but now I can only cross my fingers and pray to God." Michelle Kong, an online shopper,said.

It’s another consumption carnival created by China’s leading online retailers like Taobao. They promise unbelivable discounts, with some products sold as low as one yuan.... as long as you are quick enough to snatch them up.

"Shopping is fun. Winning a game is fun, too. And when you put the two things together, it becomes really attractive."Michelle said.

That new sales pitch is called Second Kill... you’ve literally got seconds to click your interest. But with so many eager buyers, the moment you see it, it’s probably already gone.

"Oh! See, the system is too busy, please try again later. It’s already overloaded I think." Michelle said.

Reporter: So do you feel you are saving more money? Because it does look a lot cheaper.

Well it is cheaper on one particular item, but when you add them up, the total amount of the spending is mounting.

The buying craze is seen by many as the unleashing of the staggering purchasing power of China’s rising middle class. On November 11th, the so-called Eleven Eleven Festival, online retailer Taobao swept a record 35 billion yuan sales in just one single day, leaving delivery companies flooded with packages.

As China is struggling to transform into a consumption-driven economy, that promotion even won high-profile praise from Premier Li Keqiang.

But not everyone is happy. Some already seem to be fed up.

"I heard about the online Double Twelve Festival. But I feel like it’s just a way to attract attention. It’s always very disappointing when you wait a long time for a bargain, only to find it’s either out of stock or will be delivered very late." Guangdong resident said.

"There have festivals like this one after another. I’ve already bought everything I need. Plus, there isn’t really a very big price cut." Shanghai resident said.

"It turned out that you have to go through many steps. It’s already disppointing and frustrating. I’m thinking about giving it up." Said Michalle.

Michelle says the sales create demand that is not really there. In the end, many people go to bed empty-handed.