Alibaba’s Live Sale [if you’ve been buying online and haven’t been shopping the Facebook Live video] https://t.co/fwTmOey5th — Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) April 19, 2017
The international shopping holiday known as Black Friday in the U.S. is about seven months away, but you can get a jump start by shopping this week through the Alibaba/Taobao Thanksgiving Shopping Festival (TDF) in China. The free holiday event lets consumers shop for discounts of up to 80 percent in selected categories.
The event kicks off on April 20 and ends on April 24 at midnight, and each day a different type of shopping deal will be available for a limited time. The deals are different each day. Monday will be culinary deals, a “women’s only” sale on Tuesday, and Wednesday and Thursday will be on electronics.
If you live in the U.S., there are a few things you can watch online this weekend and next.
Purchase an Apple iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, and this iPhone 7 Plus deal is live now. Get $450 off Apple’s $700 flagship phone with the code 907G15051.
In addition to Black Friday deals, Tuesday through Thursday should bring some enticing bargains from big brands like Amazon and Wal-Mart.
This weekend, Facebook will be kicking off its “16 Days of Deals,” which starts on April 26th and runs until May 6th. Over 20 companies are participating this year, including Allstate, Gap, Olay, P&G, Monster, and YouTube. Meanwhile, Black Friday is an even longer season of deals this year because Thanksgiving is on Wednesday, a Friday.
Aside from sales, there’s also social chatter. This weekend, check out the top trending hashtags on Twitter like #Thanksgiving, #PrudentDinnerPlan, #BlackFriday, #GroupOnTrack, and #MissOrganization. Get reaction from those celebrating Thanksgivings right here.
At the end of this week, over 2.6 million people will watch live video on Facebook as the company kicks off what its calling the largest live-streaming event to date. The event begins Friday with Macy’s on Main Street, outside the Macy’s State Street store in Chicago, Illinois. In total, 500 locations in the U.S. will broadcast thanksgiving holiday specials, according to the company. The full lineup, including verified pages and pages with full replays, can be viewed here.
This year, Facebook will feature a new dashboard of “live videos you’ll probably like,” according to the company. From videos from the city council to military ceremonies to small town town events and music performances, Live videos on Facebook will be at the center of the platform’s deals this year.
You can also get into the holiday spirit on Pinterest. On Thanksgiving Day, Pinterest will be posting its “Holiday Gift Ideas Made Easy” post that includes the “5 Most Common Holiday Gifts You Buy The Wrong Way.”
Also this weekend, take a look at “Social Trends” Pinterest pages, which will be drawing from Pinterest’s content by “searching for hashtags and trends that inspire people.”