The head of Alibaba, which launched the day, hoping to reach 18.5 billion dollars in sales. Poor farmers among consumers, thanks to the use of smartphones. They are buying everything from baby milk, cosmetics, mineral water, designer clothes, to soy sauce.
Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant is ready to make another record in the so-called "singles" day, 11 November (11-11, with the series of "one" to highlight people who have no partner, so make gifts to themselves).
By midday (the sale began at midnight last night), the volume of purchases had already reached 12.5 billion US dollars. Last year, the total was $ 14.3 billion.
The event lasts 24 hours and is now a tradition, launched eight years ago by Alibaba boss, Jack Ma, who this year expects to reach the figure of $ 18.5 billion, an increase of 29% over the last year.
Purchases take in the entire spectrum of online products, from shampoo to soy sauce and are made primarily via smartphone. The use of mobile phones has made it possible to include many rural areas, expanding the consumer volume.
To meet the most sophisticated requirements of customers, Alibaba is weaving a network of partnerships around the world, capable of bringing all kinds of goods into Chinese homes (especially those belonging to the middle class): from milk powder for children (which in China is always suspected of being of low quality), to cosmetics, mineral waters, to designer clothes.
In the first hour of the "Singels’ Day" assets for $ 5 billion we were sold, including some requests booked days before.