Alibaba sets 100m user goal for its chat app

One month after launching chat app "Laiwang", Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said registered users have topped 10 million.

The company is targeting a tenfold increase to 100 million by the middle of 2014, Jack Ma, chairman of Alibaba, told a press conference in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

The company has recognized the importance of mobile computing by creating an Internet communications unit which reports directly to Alibaba's chief executive officer Jonathan Lu.

The rapid development of mobile payment was evident on Singles' Day, Nov 11, when one-fifth of all orders were made using smart devices fueled by 120 million mobile enthusiasts.

Sales using mobile payment have climbed fivefold from last year.