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It only took Jack Ma half the time Wednesday to sell the same amount of stuff he did a year ago with his online channels as the annual Singles’ Day shopping event set a sales record.

Transactions through Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. during the annual Singles’ Day shopping event passed 57.1 billion yuan (US$9 billion) before midday, eclipsing last year’s record with 12 hours still to go. By midnight Beijing time, the value of the merchandise totalled 91.2 billion yuan (US$14.3 billion), according to statistics displayed at the media centre. The top-selling items included baby-related and nutritional products, Nike sneakers and Levi’s jeans, the company said.

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Ma raised the stakes with this year’s event by moving it to Beijing, bringing in more foreign brands and Hollywood celebrities Daniel Craig and Kevin Spacey to add glamour to the shopathon. Tapping into rising disposable incomes has paid off for China’s biggest e-commerce emporium as it captures more of China’s surging smartphone use with restaurant deliveries and video streaming.