Long lines & Fast Fingers: AliExpress‘s “11 Second shopping Cart Challenge” Drives Buzz for Singles’ Day
SEOUL, November 10, 2025 – A wildly popular pop-up store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, is generating meaningful excitement for AliExpress’s upcoming “11.11 Single’s Day” sale, with shoppers waiting upwards of three hours to participate in interactive challenges. The event, centered around a timed ”11 Second Shopping Cart Challenge,” is blending experiential marketing with gamification to attract a younger demographic and boost online engagement.
The pop-up, which opened on November 7th, has seen consistently long lines, even during weekday daytime hours, with wait times ranging from one to two hours. The challenge, mirroring experiences found within the AliExpress app, has proven particularly popular. Participants who successfully complete the online “11 Second Shopping Cart Challenge” can present their record at the pop-up store to receive preferential benefits in a prize event.
“The feeling of immersion was the best as I experienced challenges that I had only enjoyed on the app,and I was excited as the brand called AliExpress felt more familiar,” one visitor shared,highlighting the success of the strategy.
The on-site enthusiasm is directly translating to increased anticipation for the November 11th Single’s Day sale. This year, a diverse range of domestic sellers – including Kyungdong Navien, Deojari, Urban Players, KAZT, and suncheon Bay Fisheries – will participate, offering discounts of up to 11,111 won or 50% through time-limited deals across categories like living, kitchen, lifestyle, clothing, and food.
aliexpress reports that last year’s Single’s Day event led to significant growth in Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) for participating sellers, exceeding their daily average. Emerging categories like toys/hobbies, parenting/children, and furniture saw particularly strong double-digit growth.
“Singles’ Day is a festival that provides reasonable shopping pleasure for consumers and new growth opportunities for sellers,” stated an AliExpress official.”We will continue to expand various benefits and programs so that consumers can enjoy shopping more happily and sellers can grow together.”
The company emphasizes that Single’s Day is evolving beyond a simple discount event, becoming a “win-win shopping festival” for both consumers and sellers.
