'Double 11' race heats up with Amazon offering

Be it made-in-Germany kitchenware or infant formula from the United States, Chinese shoppers can now place orders directly from overseas online shopping platforms owned by Amazon.com Inc as the e-commerce giant steps up efforts to boost its market share in China.

Six Amazon platforms in the US, Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Italy have officially opened for sales to Chinese consumers, who have shown growing appetite for overseas brands and products.

The plan, announced on Wednesday by Amazon China as part of its strategy to boost sales during China's upcoming Double 11 online shopping festival, is seen as a counterattack to China's e-commerce king Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, which also pinned its hopes on a "globalization" strategy to break its sales record of 35 billion yuan ($5.73 billion) achieved on Nov 11, 2013.