Taobao upgrades cross-border shopping with new channel, AI shopping tools and better delivery

Taobao has refreshed its app for overseas shoppers with six new user experiences under its “Everything and Anything” tagline: Quality, Taste, Lifestyle, Trendy, Smart, and Surprise. Alongside improved delivery and upgraded AI assistants, the update focuses heavily on curation, promoted by Chinese actor Zhang Linghe for this year’s Double 11 campaign.

Leading this shift is the Taobao Curated Supply System, which combines AI and human curation to evaluate stores by quality, distinctiveness, price, and service. From over 3 billion items accessible to international buyers, the system has already hand-picked more than 4,000 original-brand stores and 6 million products.

These selections are housed in Discover, a newly launched channel organized into 15 themed categories, including fashion, home furnishings, toys, and pet gear. Each featured brand receives a dedicated storefront showcasing its story and best-sellers. For now, however, international shoppers will need to use the app’s Chinese-language interface to access the channel.

Taobao is also expanding its AI-powered features, including AI Try-On, Virtual Makeup, AR Room Placement, Voice Search and AI Pet Care Guides. The platform has introduced over 30 AI Lifestyle Experts covering topics such as styling and baking, alongside local content offerings like Taobao NowWear, Taobao Trend and bestseller rankings.

For deliveries, Taobao Official Logistics is introducing clearer shipping fees, fixed delivery times and enhanced services in select markets. These include flat-rate shipping for bulky items and Local Returns. However, Taobao has yet to confirm whether these upgrades will be available in Malaysia.

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