AliExpress: Singles Day Experience with Swae Lee

Live music performance surrounded by guests at the AliExpress Singles’ Day launch in SoHo.

Visitors playing foosball inside the AliExpress Singles’ Day pop-up in SoHo.

Guests at the red AliExpress photo wall during the Singles’ Day launch.

Guests gathering beside the DJ booth at the AliExpress Singles’ Day opening night.

A roaming magician entertains guests with a card trick at the AliExpress Singles’ Day launch.

An aerial hoop performer above the bar at the AliExpress Singles’ Day experience.

Guests arrive at the balloon-framed entrance to the AliExpress Singles’ Day pop-up on Mercer Street.

Shoppers explore product displays inside the AliExpress Singles’ Day retail pop-up.

The audience gathers around the illuminated AliExpress stage during a Singles’ Day performance.

The AliExpress pop-up interior with a red photo wall, aerial performer and live music stage.

SoHo, New York · November 2023

Singles’ Day, brought to life.

As AliExpress’s experiential agency of record, POPUP helped introduce the brand’s Singles’ Day shopping occasion to a U.S. audience through a connected talent, content and live retail campaign. The ambition was to give an online marketplace a physical presence people could explore, with music and entertainment at the heart of the experience.

From artist partnership to immersive retail.

POPUP brokered and managed the Swae Lee partnership for the campaign, bringing the artist into a commercial and content series that introduced his favorite AliExpress products. That collaboration informed a nightclub-inspired pop-up in SoHo, connecting the shopping occasion with his audience and the energy of New York.

Our role brought together experiential design, venue sourcing, the physical build, marketing and PR, and full project management. Inside, product displays sat alongside a live concert stage, a juice bar, massage stations, arcade games, photo moments and giveaways. Visitors could browse, play and discover the marketplace in an environment built around participation.

An opening night rooted in music.

The VIP launch brought together artists, creators, media and brand guests. Angel & Dren, Vashtie and DJ Clark Kent set the soundtrack, with performances from Lil’ Kim, Slick Rick and Swae Lee. Personal shopping, aerial bartenders and roaming entertainment carried the experience beyond the stage and into the retail space.

A shopping occasion gained a cultural setting.

The campaign connected artist-led storytelling, live entertainment and in-person product discovery. AliExpress had a place to welcome shoppers into its world, while the opening-night experience gave the wider campaign a story to share.

Read the original campaign coverage in Variety ↗
Explore iHeartRadio’s opening-night recap ↗

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