The Tea About Double Date Promo

written by: Joseph Adi

Indonesia’s e-commerce market is bigger than ever. With GMV reaching an estimated US$71 billion in 2025 and projected to nearly double to US$140 billion by 2030, Indonesia continues to cement its position as Southeast Asia’s largest e-commerce market.

As the market grows, so does the battle for attention. Every 9.9, 10.10, and 11.11, brands flood the same promotional window with bigger discounts, higher ad spend, and louder campaigns all competing for the same shoppers at the same time.

But here’s the question: What if the purchase decision was already made before Double Date even began?

That’s exactly what our latest research suggests.

Our survey of corporate professionals found that 100% shop online, while 90.9% actively participate in Double Date campaigns. Yet the most surprising insight isn’t how many people shop, it’s when they actually make their decisions.

Long before the countdown starts. Long before the flash sales go live. And long before most brands begin fighting for attention.

Here’s what we discovered…

1. The Cart Is Already Full Before the Sale Begins

On a regular weekday, we asked respondents to open their favorite shopping app and check how many products were already sitting in their cart. The result was surprising.

The average shopper already had 58 products in their carts waiting to be purchased. The difference between genders was even more striking:

These shoppers aren’t searching for products when the sale starts, they’ve already done the research. The sale simply gives them permission to check out. The shopping battle isn’t won on Double Date. It’s won the moment your product earns a place in someone’s cart.

2. Double Date Is Checkout Day, Not Discovery Day

Many marketers still treat Double Date as a discovery opportunity. Consumers don’t. Shopping is a gradual process. People browse, compare prices, read reviews, and save products over days, or even weeks, before making a purchase.

Our survey found that 72.7% of shoppers plan their purchases in advance.

The story becomes even clearer when we look at how long products stay in the cart. A remarkable 81.8% of shoppers keep items in their cart for more than two weeks before completing the purchase. Why?

By the time the sale begins, shoppers aren’t comparing products anymore. They’re checking out.

3. Discounts Can’t Introduce a Brand Overnight

Many brands believe a bigger discount is enough to steal customers from competitors. Our findings suggest otherwise. Google reports that 90% of purchases during major shopping events are planned weeks in advance. When the promotion finally begins, shoppers race to secure vouchers and complete purchases before deals disappear.

There is very little time, or willingness to discover a new brand. Our survey reflects the same behavior. 63.6% of shoppers stick with brands they already know, trust, or have already saved in their cart.

Only 36.4% are willing to switch to an unfamiliar brand simply because it offers a larger discount. By the time midnight arrives, attention is no longer available. It’s already

reserved. If your product isn’t already sitting in the customer’s cart, your brand is competing for an opportunity that has largely passed.

The Bottom Line

Double Date campaigns don’t create demand. They unlock demand that has been building for weeks. Brands that appear only during the sale are trying to persuade shoppers whose decisions have already been made.

The real opportunity lies in the ordinary days before the promotion, when consumers are casually browsing, discovering new products, comparing options, and quietly filling their carts.

Every impression during those weeks increases the chance that your product becomes part of the final checkout. The brands that consistently stay visible throughout the year don’t need to fight for attention on Double Date.

They’re already waiting in the cart. And when the countdown reaches zero, they’re simply waiting to be purchased.

Source:

e-Conomy SEA Report 2025 (Google, Temasek & Bain) and TMN Internal Survey (2026).