中国科技集团阿里巴巴(Alibaba)的收银机在其迄今最大的“光棍节”(Singles' Day)购物节这一天收获了254亿美元，中国的购物者们每小时购买了价值逾10亿美元的手机、鞋子和口红等等，凸显出消费者的信心有多强劲。
More than 777m parcels were shipped in what has become the biggest day by far in the global retail calendar. “It speaks to the upgrading of consumption in China,” said Daniel Zhang, chief executive of the Chinese tech group.
“光棍节”已成为全球零售业年历中最重大的日子。在今年的“光棍节”，有逾7.77亿件包裹被发运出去。“这体现出了中国消费的升级，”阿里巴巴首席执行官张勇(Daniel Zhang)说。
It is also a measure of the explosive growth witnessed in China. Alibaba has turned Singles Day — numerically written as 11.11 — into an event many times bigger than any US shopping day sales. The company is now one of the 10 most valuable in the world.
另一方面，它也是衡量人们在中国见证的爆炸性增长的一个指标。阿里巴巴已把“光棍节”(又称“双十一”)变成一项销售额比美国任何一个购物日都大许多倍的活动。该公司如今是全球市值最高的十家公司之一。
Saturday’s Rmb168bn figure was within sight of the Rmb240bn total retail sales of consumer goods in China in April 1999, the month Alibaba was founded — not accounting for inflation or exchange rates. Nine out of 10 purchases were made using mobile phones.
不考虑通胀或汇率因素，上周六的1680亿元人民币的数字已与1999年4月中国2400亿元人民币的社会消费品零售总额相差不远——阿里巴巴就是在那个月成立的。今年用手机下单的消费者占到十分之九。
“What’s behind all this is the power of the Chinese consumer,” said Joe Tsai, chairman of the Chinese tech giant. “There’s a middle class of over 300m and every year their disposable income increases.”
“这一切的背后是中国消费者的实力，”这家中国科技业巨头的执行副主席蔡崇信(Joe Tsai)说，“中国有逾3亿中产阶级，他们的可支配收入每年都在增长。”
The company is not shy of hyperbole — it aims to be bigger than the world’s fifth-biggest economy and serve 2bn customers by 2036. It forecasts total group revenues will rise 49-53 per cent this year. 阿里巴巴不怯于高调——它的目标是到2036年规模比世界第五大经济体还要大，为20亿顾客服务。该公司预计今年集团总收入将增长49%至53%。
Alibaba also stressed its international and rural focus this year, citing a farmer from Shandong province who sold more than 400,000 duck eggs alongside the sales of brands such as Nike, Uniqlo and Nestlé.
阿里巴巴还强调了今年其对国际和农村市场的集中发力，它提到了山东省的一个农民，此人不但销售耐克(Nike)、优衣库(Uniqlo)和雀巢(Nestlé)等品牌产品，还卖出了逾40万个鸭蛋。
While the $25.4bn spent is big — storming past last year’s $18bn — it stands to be whittled back by returns. Alibaba says these are less than 10 per cent, but has acknowledged a dip in merchants’ sales in the days following as a result of front-ended buying.
尽管254亿美元的销售额很大——碾压去年的180亿美元——但最终的销售额会因退货的存在而有所减少。阿里巴巴表示退货率不到10%，但它承认，商户们接下来一段时间的销售额会因消费者在这一天的提前购买而有所下降。
Analysts have also queried Alibaba’s ability to keep increasing sales, and founder and chairman Jack Ma has himself hinted at a switch away from gross merchandise volume, the metric used to measure total sales.
分析师也对阿里巴巴不断提高商品交易总额(GMV)的能力提出了质疑，阿里巴巴创始人、董事局主席马云(Jack Ma)本人已暗示，公司会逐渐把注意力从GMV这个用来衡量总销售额的指标上挪开。
“It’s shifting to other metrics outside GMV and entertainment is a big part of that,” said Tom Birtwhistle, consulting director at PwC Consulting in Hong Kong. He added that possible future measures such as engagement would encompass the whole ecosystem.
“它正转向GMV之外的其他衡量指标，娱乐是其中的重要组成部分，”普华永道咨询公司(PwC Consulting)驻香港的咨询总监汤姆•伯特威斯尔(Tom Birtwhistle)表示。伯特威斯尔补充道，未来可能的衡量指标(比如参与度)将涵盖整个生态系统。
This year’s bonanza also emphasised Alibaba’s plans to remake retail by blending online shopping and physical stores, and reaching international consumers.
阿里巴巴计划通过融合线上购物与实体门店、以及将触手伸向国际消费者来重塑零售，它在今年“光棍节”取得的巨大成功也凸显出了该计划的重要性。
Celebrities including Pharrell Williams and Australian actress Nicole Kidman, who gamely spoke a few words of Mandarin, brought international sparkle to a gala that was equal parts variety show and unabashed commerce.
包括法瑞尔•威廉姆斯(Pharrell Williams)和澳大利亚女演员妮可•基德曼(Nicole Kidman)在内的名人，为一场一半是综艺节目、一半是毫不掩饰的商务的节日盛会带来了国际亮点。其中，基德曼勇敢地说了几句汉语。
Mr Zhang highlighted the entertainment element, noting that more than 34bn videos had been played. “Entertainment and interaction are now increasingly becoming a part of ecommerce,” he said.
张勇强调了娱乐元素，他指出直播和短视频获得了344亿的播放次数。他说：“娱乐和互动如今日益成为电子商务的一部分。”
