The extravagant show was a preview of the “massive selection” of items available on Singles’ Day, it adds.

The show included some truly over-the-top moments, such as a Game of Thrones theatrical dance by Scottish brand Johnnie Walker to promote its new whiskeys …

… and a number by Luo Tianyi – a virtual singer popular in China – commissioned by sanitary pad brand Whisper.

Chinese department store chain Intime Malls – an Alibaba partner – also ran an 11.11 fashion show in Xi’an.

The show featured 150 winter outfits from 15 luxury brands.

Tmall officially kicked off Alibaba’s “11.11 season” on October 21.

Tmall and Taobao president Jiang Fan said 11.11 aimed to “stimulate consumption demand and support lifestyle upgrade”.

He predicted the massive discounts from 11.11 will help consumers save RMB50 billion (US$7 billion) this year.

The night before 11.11, brand reps flocked to Alibaba’s global headquarters in Hangzhou to watch the countdown gala and view first hour sales figures.

The campus was lavishly lit with neon lasers and fairy lights strewn across the floor.

There was a huge sculpture containing the tagline, “Make 11′ Happen”.

Employees took photos in front of the sculpture.

Elsewhere on the campus, another installation featured the mascots of various Alibaba brands.

Alibaba started its countdown gala in Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Arena.

It was broadcast on 10 cable networks across China, Southeast Asia, Africa and America.

The “internet gala” featured a moving stage, interactive LED floors and 4K high-definition streaming.

The entire arrangement required 300 technical staff to operate.

Influencers filled the gala’s audience, with many live-streaming the event to followers.

Others took photos all night to post on social media.

The gala’s star-studded line-up included a duet by Russian soprano Aida Garifullina and Chinese singer Ayanga …

… a solo performance by singer Jackson Yee of Chinese boy band TFBoys …

… and a mini-concert by headliner Taylor Swift.

The Grammy Award-winner performed three new songs from her latest album, “Lover,” including Lover, You Need to Calm Down, and ME!.

At one point, she sat down to play a keyboard smothered in shredded coloured tissue.

In a tribute to her album, butterfly imagery was projected all over the massive screens.

Swift’s “Lover” is China’s top full-length international album, hitting 1 million equivalent units – a measure of both sales and streaming – within one week of release.

The gala also included a game segment, where celebrities broke up into teams and played life-size Tetris and Candy Crush, while viewers used their phones to support their favourite teams and win vouchers.

Within the first minute of 11.11, US$1 billion in sales was made.

All across China, influencers recommended 11.11 products to followers, while a live-stream on Taobao sold 55 cars in one second.

Fifteen companies, including L’Oreal, earned RMB1 billion from the day’s sales.

Top live-streamer Viya Huang promoted Kim Kardashian-West’s new perfume brand, KKW, to local consumers.

Offline, customers swarmed shops in Alibaba-partnered Intime Malls.

Among the shops that consumers mobbed were beauty brand MAC …

… and New York-based Estée Lauder, which sells skincare, make-up, perfume and hair products.

A Chinese hypermarket linked to Alibaba slashed its prices by half and customers cleaned out entire shelves.

Many people packed their carts until they were overflowing.

Singles’ Day ended with Alibaba raking in RMB268 billion on its giant GMV (gross merchandise value) counter.

“Today we showed the world what the future of consumption looks like for brands and consumers,” Tmall president Fan Jiang said in a statement.

He added: “We are meeting the growing demand of Chinese consumers and helping them upgrade their lifestyles, while introducing new users to our digital economy from across China and around the world.”

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This article originally appeared on Business Insider.