Taobao's hardcore fans support company's growth

Those customers make at least 10 transactions monthly and buy goods worth more than 50,000 yuan ($7,981) per year, Taobao said.

On average they spend 160,000 yuan each year and usually complete three deals every two days, buying about 22,000 items annually.

And among those loyal customers, men seem to be more dedicated than women.

"This may come as a surprise, but men bought twice the number of items than women on average," Li Yan, a Taobao manager, said.

Bing Zheng, a 32-year-old marketing manager for a foreign car brand, said he once had the urge to buy a milk cow online to feed his baby daughter.

"Parents now are very worried about food safety. I searched Taobao and found that I could buy a milk cow from Heilongjiang province for 50,000 yuan," Bing said.

"However, I gave up the idea, because it would be too much trouble to ship a cow from Heilongjiang to Shanghai," he added.

In the report, Taobao said that it has 12 types of customers.

The company's largest group of clients are the so-called "night fighters". That group has a population as big as the city of Beijing, with more than 22.8 million people. They usually shop online between 11 pm and 5 am.