Hundreds of millions of Chinese yuan committed to upgrading services such as free shipping and free local returns in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia markets as part of Taobao PLUS program
HONG KONG, Oct. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Tmall Taobao World today kicked off its 2023 Taobao Tmall 11.11 Global Shopping Festival ("11.11" or "Festival") with enhanced deals and offers targeting five key markets, including Hong Kong (China), Macao (China), Taiwan (China), Singapore and Malaysia. The unit also announced the launch of a cross-border shopping service brand named "Taobao PLUS" to provide users in those five markets with a hassle-free shopping experience, offering upgraded services including lowered free shipping thresholds, expanded local return options and dedicated customer service.
Jianqiu Ye, General Manager of Tmall Taobao World, announced the launch of a cross-border shopping service brand named “Taobao PLUS” for users of Taobao and Tmall in five key Asian markets.
11.11 discounts and vouchers galore
This year’s 11.11 will again take place over two phases, with the presale of the first phase running from 20:00:00 on October 24 to 17:59:59 on October 31, and the check-out period running from 20:00:00 on October 31 to 23:59:59 on November 3. The check-out period of the second phase will run from 20:00:00 on November 10 to 23:59:59 on November 11.
During 11.11, various types of cross-shop discounts will be offered, including discounts of RMB50 off every RMB300 spent on participating products on Tmall, and discounts of RMB30 off every RMB200 spent on participating products on Taobao. The discounts are stackable with no upper limit. Additional discounts are available from Taobao and Tmall at check-out.
On the logistics side, Cainiao has upgraded its direct delivery service to optimize cross-border shipping efficiency, and will be offering direct delivery discount vouchers to shoppers purchasing selected products during 11.11. In Hong Kong, shoppers purchasing small and lightweight items and opting for self-pick-up service offered by Cainiao will be able to enjoy a special direct delivery price of RMB6 for the first 500 grams – a significant reduction in price for those who prioritize convenience and speed.
Tmall Taobao World has been actively expanding its network of e-wallet and credit card partners in its key markets with the aim of providing shoppers with a wider range of payment options while extending attractive incentives from these payment partners such as fee waivers and payment rewards to Taobao users. During 11.11, HSBC’s e-wallet PayMe, which recently debuted on Taobao Hong Kong, will increase its discounts for Hong Kong users from HKD15 off every HKD300 to HKD30 off every HKD300 spent on Taobao and Tmall. Apple Pay and Home Bank, two newly added payment methods on Taobao Taiwan, will offer discounts and handling fee waiver. In addition, users in Taiwan checking out with a Visa credit card will enjoy an incredible discount of up to TWD1,111. In Malaysia, Lazada Wallet users will stand a chance to enjoy credit card payment discounts during 11.11, with a maximum discount of RM222 off RM1,111 or more spent.
Taobao PLUS introduced to create a hassle-free shopping experience
In conjunction with the launch of 11.11, Tmall Taobao World has unveiled a new cross-border shopping service brand named Taobao PLUS for its five key Asian markets, namely Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. The unit has invested hundreds of millions of Chinese yuan to enhance the suite of services covered by Taobao PLUS, including free shipping and free local returns for eligible orders, demonstrating its commitment to making cross-border shopping more seamless for consumers.
"This year, we are kicking off 11.11 with the launch of Taobao PLUS, our new cross-border service brand for users in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. Taobao PLUS encompasses upgraded versions of a range of our local market-specific services such as free shipping, free local returns and dedicated customer support, which have been developed and curated based on our years of experience in serving shoppers in each market," said Jianqiu Ye, General Manager of Tmall Taobao World. "We are delighted that Taobao PLUS has already garnered the support of a large number of merchants on our platform, which reflects their recognition of our move and enables us to extend the coverage of free shipping to more product categories. More importantly, these service enhancements are funded through our own budget rather than through product price increases, to ensure that consumers can enjoy better-quality services while purchasing products with 11.11 discounts off their original prices."
Service upgrades offered by Taobao PLUS include:
1) The free shipping service has expanded to cover a large number of additional product categories, increasing the variety of eligible products by more than 50%. For example, a multitude of small and lightweight items as well as trending products have been added on the basis of the existing extensive range of eligible women’s fashion accessories. These include, among other categories, sun protection clothing, hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing), suitcases, travel essentials, outdoor camping equipment, pet supplies, cooking and dining utensils, as well as storage and organization products.
2) The minimum spending threshold for free cross-border delivery has been lowered. For example, in Hong Kong, the minimum required spend has been reduced from RMB199 to only RMB99. In Macao, the minimum required spend is set at RMB49 only and it applies to both the Cainiao official cross-border delivery option and a new option provided by eBuy. In Taiwan, the free cross-border delivery service, available to consumers meeting a minimum required spend of RMB249, will be upgraded during 11.11 to cover both free delivery and tax. In Singapore, the minimum spending threshold will be lowered from RMB299, applicable previously to sea freight only, to just RMB249, now covering both air and sea freight. For Malaysia, the minimum spending threshold will decrease from RMB299, applicable previously to sea freight only, to just RMB199, now covering both air and sea freight.
3) The free local return service has been upgraded to provide consumers in various markets with more local return options and better assurance. For instance, free doorstep pick-up service for returned products is now available in the Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia markets. Users in the Hong Kong and Macao markets and those in the Taiwan market can also choose to return their products for free to designated self-pick-up stores or designated convenience stores, respectively.
4) Dedicated customer service has been introduced for orders covered by Taobao PLUS. A dedicated customer service channel is now accessible to users through the Taobao PLUS section of the Taobao platform. The section features a button for users to easily access human customer support – an alternative to AI-assisted customer service – providing users with more personalized assistance in a convenient manner. In addition to Mandarin, users in Hong Kong and Macao can opt for customer service support in Cantonese.
Ye added, "We look forward to welcoming more merchants to the Taobao PLUS program, which will benefit consumers with more extensive free delivery and free local return services. In the future, we will continue to innovate across various service models to elevate the consumer experience throughout their shopping journey, in order to fulfil their diverse cross-border purchasing needs with more refined and differentiated services."
Note: The above promotional offers are subject to terms and conditions. For details of the offers in each market, please refer to the related 11.11 campaign page on Taobao.
About Tmall Taobao World
Launched in 2017, Tmall Taobao World aims to enable Chinese consumers outside mainland China to conveniently shop for a variety of products on Taobao and Tmall. Through Tmall Taobao World, Chinese shoppers outside mainland China can access more than 2 billion products on Taobao simply with the Taobao app, while enjoying logistics, payment and other services and offers tailored to their individual market needs. The major buyer markets of Tmall Taobao World include Hong Kong (China), Taiwan (China), Macao (China), Singapore and Malaysia, among others. Tmall Taobao World is part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group.
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