Singles' Day: China splurges $9.3bn in 12 hours on world's biggest online shopping day

This year's Singles' Day - the country's answer to Black Friday, which began as an 'anti-Valentine's Day' binge for singletons - tramples 2014 record

Shoppers have spent more than $9bn (6bn) in the first 12 hours of China's Singles' Day sales, topping last year's total for the world's biggest online shopping day.

Total gross merchandise volume, a measure of sales, matched the 2014 Single's Day figure of $9.3bn just after midday, the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba said.