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 The company, which six years ago turned Nov. 11 into China's
equivalent of U.S. shopping event Cyber Monday, could see this
year's sales rise to as much as $13.8 billion, a growth of almost 50
percent from last year's total, according to research firm IDC.
JD.com Inc <JD.O>, China's second largest e-commerce firm and
Alibaba's chief rival, also said it broke past last year's full-day
total just before noon China time (0400 GMT). JD.com does not give
specific sales figures on the day.
"Alibaba is positioned as the number one player in the Chinese
e-commerce market, so it has to be seen to be maintaining, or
gaining ground really," said Duncan Clark, chairman of Beijing-based
tech consultancy BDA.
Singles' Day, originally a mock celebration for people not in
relationships, features steep discounts and other promotions aimed
at attracting droves of customers online. Alibaba's sales data have
been closely watched as a gauge of Chinese consumption as economic
growth slows.
Alibaba's numbers this year will get a boost from sales by
affiliates including brick-and-mortar retailer Suning Commerce Group
Co <002024.SZ>, in which it bought a 20 percent stake in August.
Suning's in-store sales will count toward Alibaba's total gross
merchandise volume, as long as they go through final processing
online, an Alibaba spokesman said.
Alibaba has stressed its focus on international e-commerce this
Singles' Day. "Within the next five years, we expect China will
become the world's largest e-commerce market for imported products,"
President Michael Evans told reporters.
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Alibaba has by and large dominated Singles' Day sales, which has
raised the ire of rivals. This month, JD.com lodged a complaint with
Chinese regulators saying Alibaba was "forcing merchants" to
exclusively choose its site for promotional activities, a fact
Alibaba denies.
JD.com later said the SAIC had formally accepted the complaint.
(Reporting by Paul Carsten in Beijing and Lehar Maan in Bengaluru;
Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Anil D'Silva
and Miral Fahmy)
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