Singles Day could be expat-friendly

After shopping in two successive 11/11s from Beijing, I, an Indian, feel like a Singles Day veteran already, in spite of not being versed in Chinese language. That I could also help a young Indian colleague and his wife buy some items, including a "Mummy Bag", made me feel valuable.

To optimize my online time on Fantastic Friday, I drew up in advance a list of must-buy items. On second thoughts, I need not have bothered - I'll come to that in a bit.

On Saturday, a group of 25 compatriots living/working in Beijing got together for lunch, and 11/11 became a talking point. I realized consumers, be they Indian or Chinese, tend to be price-sensitive, but covet different products.