'Singles Day' has shoppers ready to spend big

AdMaster's data shows that the promotion strategy of a brand at an early stage can affect consumers' purchase decisions both directly and indirectly.

"Our survey results indicate consumers in general accept the sales promotions for the festival, while different brands are eager to utilize e-commerce platforms to increase their sales revenue," Yan added.

The online survey showed Tmall has the highest level of interest by consumers, as it is the e-commerce platform that puts the greatest effort into sales promotion. The level of interest has increased by 13.1 percent compared to usual days.

Taobao, JD and Suningyigou, another three e-commerce platforms, also rank highly in terms of consumer interest.

In contrast, the level of interest for Dangdang and Amazon were found to be lower than on other days, which correlates to the core product category (mainly books) of their business operations.

The survey results show the products consumers most focus on and plan to purchase are apparel and accessories, mobile phones and digital products, and home electrical appliances.

"Brands should focus on sales volume as well as brand image while marketing their products during the festival," said Wilson Chen, AdMaster's vice-president. "The control of logistics, service and product quality during the festival are key to brand communication."

In 2012, China's e-commerce industry was worth 8.1 trillion yuan, with online shopping contributing 1.3 trillion yuan, according to the Ministry of Commerce. More than 2.2 million Chinese worked for the country's rapidly expanding e-commerce industry as of June, People's Daily reported.

According to the 2013 Global Private Equity Report by Grant Thornton, 64 percent of Chinese respondents are optimistic about investment opportunities in consumer-focused sectors.

Xinhua contributed to this story.