"双十一"销售额再破纪录!

It took just 96 seconds for Alibaba Group to net the 10 billion yuan worth of gross merchandise volume at midnight of Nov 11 as the internet conglomerate takes the annual shopping bonanza into its second decade.

11月11日凌晨，互联网巨头阿里巴巴集团的“双十一”购物狂欢进入第二个十年，仅用了96秒的时间就实现了100亿元的商品交易总额。

This was shorter than last year's 125 seconds to cross the same threshold, indicating strong consumption momentum shoring up the Chinese economy.

去年达到同样的销售额用了125秒，今年比去年耗时更短，表明中国经济有着强劲的消费势头支撑。

"This year, new consumption marks the largest departure from its previous editions," said Alibaba chairman and CEO Daniel Zhang. "It is more than a shopping festival-it is also an occasion for brands to grow and interact with consumers."

阿里巴巴集团董事局主席兼首席执行官张勇说：“今年，新的消费模式与以往有很大不同。‘双十一’不仅仅是一个购物节，更是一个品牌成长并与消费者互动的机会。”

Transaction volume reached 43.99 billion yuan in the first 10 minutes, and hit 100 billion yuan in one hour, three minutes, 59 seconds.

第一个十分钟，阿里巴巴零售平台成交额共439.9亿元。而凌晨1点03分59秒，交易额即突破1000亿元。

Like previous years, the event kicked off with a star-studded countdown gala celebration in Shanghai, headlined by US singer Taylor Swift, whose latest album "Lover" has smashed records in China, as well as local celebrity Jackson Yee, a magnet among the younger generation of shoppers.

和往年一样，天猫“双十一”购物狂欢以在上海举行的一场众星云集的倒计时晚会拉开了帷幕，美国歌手泰勒·斯威夫特成为全场瞩目的焦点。她的最新专辑《情人》在中国打破了多项纪录。此外，国内明星易烊千玺也亮相晚会，吸引了年轻一代的消费者。

Alibaba said more than 200,000 brands are participating in the 11th Singles Day gala, with 1 million new products being offered and more than 500 million users forecast to spend, 100 million more than last year. It added that the estimated consumer savings from brand and platform promotions and coupons could reach 50 billion yuan.

阿里巴巴表示，超过20万个品牌参加了今年的“双十一”购物节，推出100万个新产品，预计将有超过5亿消费者在此期间购物消费，比去年多出1亿。据估计，消费者从品牌和平台推广以及优惠券中节省的花费将达到500亿元。

More than 64 brands achieved over 100 million yuan in gross merchandise volume in the pre-order phase from Oct 21, which was twice the number of brands compared to last year, the company said.

阿里巴巴称，在从10月21日开始的预售活动中，有超过64个品牌的销售总额超过1亿元，是去年达到同等销售额品牌数量的两倍。

Last year the platform saw 213.5 billion yuan worth of merchandise transacted in the 24-hour event, dwarfing Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the United States combined. But as competition intensifies, Alibaba is searching for fresh ideas to drive sales and keep users hooked to its sites.

去年，阿里巴巴在“双十一”当天商品交易总额达到2135亿元，超过了美国“黑色星期五”和“网络星期一”销售额的总和。但随着竞争加剧，阿里巴巴正在寻找新的思路来推动销售，留住用户。

Brands from Origins, Kanebo to Oppo unveiled Nov 11 special editioned product packaging, whereas many others tailored offerings to meet the consumer preferences.

悦木之源、嘉娜宝和Oppo手机等品牌都在11月11日推出了特制版产品包装，而其他许多品牌则根据消费者的喜好提供定制产品。

During this year's event, South Korean cosmetics group Amorepacific will launch a string of limited-edition products tailored to the Chinese customers, introduce a new brand and better tap into consumers via livestreaming, short videos and other original contents.

在今年的活动中，韩国化妆品集团爱茉莉太平洋将推出一系列为中国消费者量身定制的限量版产品，推出一个新品牌，并通过直播、短视频和其他原创内容更好地打入消费者市场。

"Today Nov 11 is more than just an extravaganza for product discounts. It has spurred consumption demands, providing an opportunity to help brands find their positions and enhance customer engagement," said Charles Kao, China president of Amorepacific.

该集团中国区总裁高应湘说：“如今的‘双十一’不仅仅是商品打折狂欢季。它刺激了消费需求，还提供了帮助品牌找到定位，提高客户参与度的机会。”

He expected newly recruited members to hit 3 million. "Today's limit could be the norm of tomorrow. What we truly value is beyond sales figures per se, but the opportunity to deeply engage with consumer," he said.

他预计新增消费者将达到300万人。“今天的极限可能会成为明天的常态。我们真正看重的不是销售数据本身，而是与消费者深入接触的机会。”

Live-streamers are also set to play a prominent role in product promotions this year, as the internet giant heavily invests in online influencers to increase engagement on its Taobao app.

直播也将在今年的产品推广中扮演重要角色，因为这家互联网巨头将大力投资于极具网络影响力的人，以增加其淘宝应用的参与度。

L'Oréal's pre-sales increased 700 percent over last year thanks to livestreaming. Its 17-hour long broadcast during day one of the pre-sales attracted nearly 1 million views.

得益于直播，欧莱雅的预售额比去年增长了700%。在预售的第一天，它长达17个小时的直播吸引了近100万人次观看。

Clarence Mak, president of Mars Wrigley China, a confection maker, said he was asked by his team members to appear on a livestreaming show in the lead-up to the shopping gala, given it has become a new shopping routine that is "highly popular among Chinese consumers".

糖果制造商玛氏箭牌中国区总裁麦伟坚表示，他的团队成员要求他在购物节前参加一个直播节目，因为这已成为一种新的购物习惯，“在中国消费者中非常受欢迎”。

"Apparently consumers now not only look for the physical products but also the shopping experience. We need to make sure that we are not just present in China, but relevant to China," he said.

“很明显，消费者现在寻找的不仅是实体产品，还有购物体验。我们需要确保的是不光我们的品牌要出现在中国，而且要与中国产生关联。”