Singles’ Day 2017: Alibaba’s Vision For The Future Of Retail

In Shanghai yesterday the Alibaba Group announced its full lineup of events, promotions, and technologies for this year’s Global Shopping Festival. Its celebrity-driven “countdown gala” will be headlined this year by global music impresario Pharrell, superstar actress Zhang Ziyi, pianist Liang Liang, and many other “surprise guests.” The four-hour gala, which was watched by more than 400 million people in China last year, is again being produced by Emmy-winning Oscars producer David Hill. The event will be fully interactive: People watching at home will be able to “Watch Now-Buy Now,” direct the action on the stage, and collect prizes and receive digital “red envelopes” (cash). The glitzy show should not, however, be discounted as just a way to create excitement and promote the 24-hour consumer frenzy that will commence at midnight on November 11. It is one of the pillars of Jack Ma’s vision of “New Retail”: the merging of entertainment and consumption. Read more at Forbes.