11.11, 10.10, 9.9: how Chinese promotions are changing Black Friday in Brazil

For a long time, american e-commerce dealt with Black Friday like “D-Day” of the year. All the money, energy, and expectation were concentrated on a single Friday in November.

It's just that the game is over.

While many brands are still “waiting for Black Friday”, marketplaces like Shopee, AliExpress and company have already transformed dates like 9.9, 10.10 and 11.11 into super-sales events, inspired by Chinese promotional models.

In some cases, November 11 already beats Black Friday's own billing on the platform in a few hours. And that completely changes the logic of the promotional calendar.

The question is simple (and a bit uncomfortable):

If the consumer is already buying heavily on 11.11, why does your e-commerce still concentrate everything on a single promotion day?

In this article, we will show you:

• What are the double dates (9.9, 10.10, 11.11, 12.12);
• How are they redefining Black Friday;
• What changes in the strategy of media, operation and funnel;
• a step by step to set up a Smarter promotional calendar;
• And like the Only.Ag enter to transform this into a result - and nothing more.

What are double dates in e-commerce?

Dates such as 9.9, 10.10, 11.11 and 12.12 They became known as double dates: promotion days marked by repeated numbers (the same day and month).

This model was mainly born in Asia, with giants like Alibaba transforming the 11.11 (Singles' Day) at the largest e-commerce event in the world. Over time, other players copied the logic:

• create recurring monthly events;
• educate consumers to expect promotions on those specific dates;
• use each event to test offers, categories, and formats.

When marketplaces like Shopee and AliExpress arrived in Brazil with force, they brought this calendar with them. And the Brazilian consumer learned quickly:

• 9.9 and 10.10 ceased to be “ordinary days” and became coupon, shipping and discount opportunities;
• 11.11 became a Pre-Black Friday very strong;
• 12.12 closes the year with a last wave of offers.

That is to say: Your client's pocket is already being disputed well before the last Friday in November.

11.11 x Black Friday: Who's in charge of the calendar today?

In practice, it's no longer a “or 11.11 or Black Friday” fight.
It's a change of mentality:

From a single sales peak towards a sequence of promotional waves.

Some important points of this new dynamic:

1. The consumer has lost the “fear” of buying online

After years of Black Friday, pandemic, growth of marketplaces and improved logistics, consumers:

• rely more on buying on the internet;
• research prices in advance;
• Do you understand that there are several discount windows in the year - and not just one.

2. 11.11 became the official Black Friday warm-up

For many marketplace sellers, Is 11.11 already treated as a “general rehearsal” from Black Friday:

• test categories, prices, and combos;
• validate media creatives;
• try coupons and promotional mechanics.

In some segments, performance is so strong that Does 11.11 rival or surpass Black Friday itself in order volume.

3. The calendar ceased to be “a day” and became “a plan”

For those who look at the game strategically, November is no longer a 24-hour event, but:

• one Full month of demand construction,
• where each date (10.10, 11.11, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, 12.12) plays a clear role in the plan.

What changes in your e-commerce strategy

If the consumer distributes their attention throughout the month, your brand also needs to distribute the strategy.

1. Annual calendar planning, not just for November

The starting point is to stop looking only at “that week” and organize a annual promotional calendar, connecting:

• double dates (9.9, 10.10, 11.11, 12.12);
• traditional dates (Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Father's Day, Children's Day, Christmas);
• internal dates (brand anniversary, collections, releases);
• tactical campaigns (stock burning, collection exchange, etc.).

2. Wave distribution of funds and media

Instead of roasting everything in a single day, you get to work Media waves, for example:

• Wave 1 — Warm up to 11.11
  Audience building, discovery traffic, CRM base generation.
• Wave 2 — 11.11
  Stronger funding in conversion and remarketing campaigns, using learning from Wave 1.
• Wave 3 — Black Friday
  Scale in the ensembles that performed better, more aggressive offerings.
• Wave 4 — Post-BF/12.12
  Inventory cleaning, reactivation campaigns, and final opportunities.

3. Margin and price designed as a portfolio, not as a single shot

Working multiple dates requires better thinking about:

• Which products can have the most aggressive discounts (stock burning, low output, high appeal);
• Which are moderately discounted, but they help to compose a ticket;
• What “anchor” products you want to stand out at each event.

Who sees this as a promotional portfolio, and not as a desperate one-day liquidation, achieves:

• preserve margin;
• avoid customer frustration (“I paid cheaper before/after”);
• have cash predictability.

The mistakes of those who still live only on Black Friday

If you still treat Black Friday as “the only great time of the year”, it's very likely that you're making some of these mistakes:

1. Bet everything on cold traffic just in the day

Strong campaign only in the week of Black Friday, without building an audience before?

Predictable result:

• High CPC, maximum competition;
• less data for optimization;
• weak remarketing because there was a lack of base.

2. Don't use 10.10 and 11.11 to learn

Double dates are The best laboratory What do you have:

• to test creatives;
• understand price sensitivity;
• validate which categories provide the best traction.

To ignore this is to enter Black Friday in the dark.

3. Forget CRM and automation

Many people still treat Black Friday and 11/11 as “media events”, but:

• Those who build the base do it well Run highly segmented campaigns by email, SMS and WhatsApp;
• Those who don't do this are dependent on paid media, paying more to talk to those who already know the brand.

4. Not preparing operation and experience

There's no use breaking traffic records if:

• the site crashes;
• the checkout gives an error;
• the service does not support the demand;
• logistics don't keep up.

Promotion without experience is just a beautiful way to Generate a complaint.

Step by step to set up a calendar with double dates

We will simplify the path in 4 practical steps for your e-commerce.

Step 1 — Map all relevant events

Lists:

• double dates (9.9, 10.10, 11.11, 12.12);
• seasonal dates that make sense for your niche;
• internal opportunities (brand anniversary, line launch, etc.).

Define which will be the major events And which ones will they be support microcampaigns.

Step 2 — Define the role of each date

For example:

• 9.9 and 10.10 → Tests and audience building;
• 11.11 → Strong heating, competitive offers and learning;
• Black Friday → Big bet of the year, where you scale what worked;
• 12.12 → Last call, focused on inventory and final opportunities.

Step 3 — Connect media, CRM, and content

For each event, answer:

• which media campaigns will be active (Google Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, X Ads, Amazon Ads, Bing, Pinterest);
• which email/WhatsApp flows will run before, during, and after;
• which blog content and social networks will educate the public about the offers.

This article, for example, is perfect content for:

• attract organic traffic (DRY);
• Educate your base in automation flows;
• serve as a script for short videos on Instagram and TikTok.

Step 4 — Measure everything and turn it into a playbook

At the end of each event, record:

• revenue, average ticket, margin;
• media cost, ROAS, CPA;
• site conversion rate;
• products and offers that performed the most.

This data has become your Official 11.11 playbook + Black Friday for next year.

Quick example of a promotional calendar for November

A simplified example that you can adapt:

• 01 to 07/11 — Heating
  Educational content, comparisons, reviews, announcement that “a strong calendar is coming”.
• 08 to 11/11 — Week of 11/11
  Specific 11.11 campaigns focusing on strategic categories and creative testing.
• 12 to 24/11 — Post-11.11 and pre-BF
  Remarketing for those who interacted on 11.11, generation of a waiting list for Black Friday, exclusive coupons for registrants.
• November 25 to 30/11 — Black Friday Week/Cyber Monday
  More aggressive offers, focus on conversion and ticket growth.
• First half of December — 12.12 and the end of the year
  Burning stock, gift combos, last-chance campaigns.

How Only.Ag helps your e-commerce perform on every date (not just Black Friday)

At Only.Ag, we don't look at Black Friday as an “isolated event”.
Our business is to build predictable performance over the entire year.

With the E-commerce Growth Accelerator, we help brands to:

• Draw one full promotional calendar, including double and large seasonal dates;
• connect paid traffic management (Google Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, X Ads, Amazon Ads, Bing Ads, Pinterest Ads) for business objectives;
• use Inbound & SEO so that content like this brings recurring and qualified traffic;
• structure CRM and automation to take advantage of every click and every lead;
• optimizing website, UX, and conversion funnel so that the media money becomes a sale — and not just a click.

While many companies still bet everything on a single day, our customers arrive in November with:

• campaigns and offers tested on 9.9, 10.10 and 11.11;
• heated, segmented base;
• pages prepared to convert;
• clear dashboards to make quick decisions.

No miracle, no empty promise.

Only.ag. Result and nothing more.

If you want to transform your promotional calendar - 11.11, Black Friday and all other dates - into a Predictable vending machine, the next step is simple:
talk to our team and ask for a diagnosis of your e-commerce.

FAQ: quick questions about 11.11, double dates, and Black Friday

1. Will 11.11 replace Black Friday?

No. In practice, what is happening is a Sum of forces, not a replacement.
11.11 anticipates purchases, warms up the audience and redistributes sales throughout the month, while Black Friday remains a big peak - especially for brands that work well on both dates.

2. Is it worth participating in the double dates if I don't sell on the marketplace?

Yes. Even if you're not on marketplaces, consumer behavior you've already been educated by them.
You can:

• create your own campaigns in 9.9, 10.10, 11.11;
• use these dates as a warm-up for Black Friday;
• communicate that your store also participates in these moments, with exclusive benefits.

3. Do I need to give a very aggressive discount on every date?

No. You can:

• use some dates like trial, with smaller discounts and additional benefits (shipping, gift, installment payment);
• book the most aggressive offers for Black Friday;
• Work very well perception of value, combo and convenience, not just price.

4. How do I get started if today I only have Black Friday?

Start simple:

1. Choose one or two double dates (for example, 10.10 and 11.11).
2. Plan a smaller campaign, with good offers and a focus on learning.
3. Use what works for Optimize Black Friday.
4. The following year, evolve the calendar based on the data.

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