BUSINESSES in China are looking forward to an income boost this month as Single’s Day falls Monday, Nov. 11.

    The date, when written as 11-11, resembles guanggun (bare sticks), a term Chinese often use to refer to single people.

    However, the holiday, which was started in the 1990s by campus bachelors to console themselves, has since been taken up by online retailers, and has gradually evolved into a commercial frenzy.

    More than 11 new films are scheduled to hit Chinese cinemas from Friday through Monday, in anticipation of Single’s Day.

    Half of these films are low-budget romances, according to the screening schedule published at mtime.com, a leading Chinese film website.

    Tang Le, marketing manager of Capital Cinema in Xidan, Beijing’s busiest shopping area, confirmed that at least eight new films will be screened from Friday through Monday, with 10 other films hitting theaters in the weeks before and after the holiday.

    “We are promoting three romance films in particular, because the theme fits the season and the stars are popular among young people,” Tang said.

    Producers are trying to repeat the success of the low-budget romance “Love Is Not Blind,” which debuted ahead of Single’s Day in 2011. The movie took in 350 million yuan (US$56 million) of box office earnings, despite production costs of less than 10 million yuan.

    However, such smaller films will have fierce competition this year.

    “Thor: The Dark World,” starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston, will hit theaters Friday.

    “Escape Plan,” starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, has been in theaters since Monday.

    In addition to the annual film rush, Single’s Day is also likely to bring another shopping bonanza as many retailers, both online and in-store, are gearing up with promotions.

    Last year, more than 2 billion yuan was spent in the first 70 minutes of the Single’s Day sale at taobao.com, China’s largest online shopping platform. T-Mall and Taobao posted total sales volumes of 19.1 billion yuan at the end of the day.

    This year, T-Mall is promoting 50-percent discounts and using social media to attract shoppers. Vice president Wang Yulei indicated that more than 20,000 online stores have joined the Single’s Day campaign.

    Rival e-commerce platforms are also looking at ways to get a piece of the action. JD.com’s Li Xi said the company will carry out small trials with some brands, including major ones and at department stores.

    In reference to showrooming trends, department stores in Chongqing have tried attaching tmall.com logos to products, so customers may, for example, try on clothes in-store before ordering online to enjoy the discounts.

    However, Tian Fanjiang, CEO of baihe.com, China’s leading online dating platform, said it was a pity to see such a meaningful day for singles become a shopping carnival, while millions of bachelors have been left behind.

    There are about 249 million people of marriageable age — at least 20 years old for women, and 22 for men — in China, accounting for one-fifth of the country’s total population, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, and many of them might find themselves a bit lonely this Single’s Day. (SD-Agencies)