Alibaba's Shopping Spree: How the Web Giant's Universe Has Expanded

Alibaba has grown to dominate Chinese e-commerce. It's accomplished this with the early development of its own technology platform and by adding the services that make online shopping easier, like transport and payments.

The company is using acquisitions to further build out its eco-system, snapping up video and news content providers, offline services and overseas companies that have snared a slice of the e-commerce world outside China. As 2016 draws to a close, here's a breakdown of some of its most significant deals: