DHAKA: E-commerce giant Alibaba has beaten its sales record for its annual Singles Day event.

The company said sales this year had reached 121bn yuan ($18bn), a rise of 32% on last year’s sales which were worth $14.3bn, reports The BBC.

But some have questioned the accuracy of the numbers, amid claims of inflated sales data at Chinese online retailers.

Merchants passing off counterfeit goods as genuine are also a problem in the industry.

Alibaba reported 82% of purchases had been made on mobile phones during Singles Day.

The company has also been experimenting with new technology including augmented reality and virtual reality to give shoppers other ways of buying items.

And the event had a blistering start with sales hitting $5bn in the first hour, Alibaba said, though that total included pre-orders made by customers who could “lock in” prices. It took 90 minutes to hit that milestone in 2015.

Singles Day is held every year on 11 November. The day is also referred to as Double Eleven because of its date.

Originally claimed as a celebration for China’s young singletons, Alibaba turned it into a shopping bonanza in 2009.

BDST: 1120 HRS, NOV 12, 2016
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