Alibaba had another great day of singles. The party may not last.

The methods of the society to generate enthusiasm have already been the subject of scrutiny. Two years ago, Alibaba said that the US Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating how it published sales of singles. The company's preferred metric, the gross value of the goods, is meant to represent the amount of money that changes hands on its platforms. But there is no standard method of calculation.

The company has since downplayed the number. But the episode illustrates how Alibaba sees itself – as a company that breaks the mold.

Since Alibaba listed its shares in New York four years ago, the company has used a clear sense of purpose to appeal to investors, stock market analysts and the media. China is on the long way that leads to the prosperity of the middle class, said the company, and Alibaba had the biggest toll. A bet on Alibaba was a bet on China itself.

Last year, when the CB Insights data company asked voters to vote for the company in which they would invest and stay for 10 years, Alibaba was the winner, beating all the American giants of technology, as well as Saudi Aramco and Goldman Sachs.

Now, however, it is clear that Alibaba's privileged place in the rise of China is not guaranteed.

In takeaway delivery, for example, Alibaba faces several wealthy rivals. He made big bets that had difficulties, including on the troubled bike rental company Ofo.

Or consider Pinduoduo, an e-commerce company that has grown from scratch to 350 million customers in just three years. You may not have heard about the brands on the app and you may not be able to trust the quality of the products. The prices, however, are unbeatable. Pinduoduo has seduced buyers in small Chinese cities.

Nobody expects Alibaba to generate every year, for all eternity, record growth figures for single sales. At some point, when growth begins to decelerate quickly, the event could change to focus on one-week sales rather than one-day sales or other activity.