Now, shopaholics double up as Ali's marketing squad

Meng Cui Yi spent almost $90,000 at Alibaba's online mall in the past year. The 33-year-old restaurateur buys pretty much everything there - Burberry apparel, La Mer skincare products, furniture, groceries and more. After Alibaba's annual Singles Day sale last year, Meng's purchases were piled so high outside her Shanghai apartment her businessman husband could barely get in the door.

Meng's lavish spending habits earned her an invite to Alibaba Passport, or APass, an exclusive rewards program. APass is a mashup of Facebook, Amazon Prime and the American Express Black Card. Its 100,000 members get the usual perks - deals, trips, personal service - but are also encouraged to join online communities of shopaholics who blog and talk up Ali baba.

Rolled out about two years ago, APass has helped Alibaba persuade the well-heeled shoppers trawling its Tmall and Taobao shopping emporiums to keep spending.