Nation's shoppers turn out in droves for Black Friday

Chinese shoppers emerged as a major force in the United States' Black Friday sales as their cross-border online spending during the annual event surged from last year's record, according to Alipay, the e-payment arm of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

It said on Thursday that cross-border transactions by Chinese consumers from Nov 28 to 30 were "more than triple" last year's figure, but it did not provide specific amounts for either year.

It was the first Black Friday event in which Macy's, along with several other retailers in the US, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, allowed Chinese shoppers to buy goods in the yuan through Alipay's ePass payment option.