Latest news with #TaobaoInstantCommerce
The Star
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
E-tailers go big on instant retail
China's instant retail sector is expected to see speedy growth as leading e-commerce platforms are banking on the lucrative on-demand food delivery services to drive new sources of revenue and reconstruct the traditional retail landscape, experts said. They called on enterprises to ramp up technological innovation, optimise logistics networks and improve delivery efficiency, while leveraging personalised recommendation methods and high-quality services to elevate the user experience. Meanwhile, authorities and industry associations should introduce relevant regulations and standards to promote the healthy development of the instant retail market, they added. Alibaba Group has recently upgraded its one-hour delivery platform and launched Taobao Instant Commerce, as part of a broader push to march into the fast-growing instant retail market. The service, which operates in more than 50 major cities across the nation, promises deliveries for various goods beyond food, such as electronics, clothing and flowers within an hour. The orders are fulfilled by Alibaba's food delivery unit. To attract customers, Taobao is increasing subsidies and offering discounts on items like milk tea. The platform will make use of its advantages in online flagship stores, and strengthen cooperation with local warehouses and offline retail sites to cater to consumers' rising demand for speedy and affordable instant delivery services. The sharp increase in the number of orders from Taobao Instant Commerce has led to a significant surge in order volume in many cities. Taobao said the number of daily orders has surpassed 40 million, with the daily order volume in 39 cities breaking historical records. Alibaba's move came after e-commerce platform JD's entry into the highly competitive food delivery sector. JD has provided comprehensive support like low or zero commission fees to catering merchants who register on its platform, and stepped up the recruitment of full-time delivery riders. Instant retail refers to a model where shoppers place orders on online trading platforms, followed by retailers from brick-and-mortar stores executing door-to-door deliveries themselves or through third-party delivery platforms. An on-demand delivery order usually requires 30 to 60 minutes to be completed. Food delivery platform Meituan has rolled out its instant retail service "flash purchases", vowing to provide 24-hour shopping services with deliveries finished within approximately 30 minutes. Customers can select from a wide range of products, including fresh produce, snacks, electronics, beauty items and pet care supplies. Industry observers pointed out that the traditional e-commerce industry is slowing down, while the growth rate of the instant retail market is expected to stay above 20 percent. According to a report from the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, the market scale of China's instant retail sector reached 650 billion yuan ($90.5 billion) in 2023, up 28.89 percent year-on-year. The figure is expected to surpass 2 trillion yuan in 2030. "Instant retail is regarded as an important development direction for the future retail sector as enterprises can expand their scope of services, enhance user stickiness, and leverage their existing logistics and supply chain advantages to explore new growth points through instant retail," said Hong Yong, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. Hong said at present, the competition in the on-demand retail market is becoming increasingly fierce, with major players including e-commerce platforms, local life service enterprises and traditional retailers upping the ante in the sector, adding that the key to success is centered on the optimization of the user experience, expansion of service scope and supply chain efficiency. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities recently summoned major food delivery platforms including JD and Meituan, to address prominent issues related to competition in the food delivery sector. They called on platforms to comply with laws and regulations, fulfill social responsibilities, strengthen internal management, engage in fair and orderly competition, and safeguard the rights and interests of consumers, merchants, and delivery riders. The move is to promote the regulated, healthy and orderly development of the platform economy. "Platform enterprises should pool more resources into technologies, deepen supply chain innovation and optimize cost structure through highly efficient inventory management and intelligent warehousing and distribution systems," said Zhu Keli, founding director of the China Institute of New Economy. It is of vital significance to establish a stricter merchant access and supervision mechanism to improve the quality of goods, Zhu said, while calling for efforts to strengthen cooperation among different platforms to better integrate resources and further stimulate consumption potential. - China Daily/ANN
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Alibaba's new 'instant commerce' portal passes 40 million daily orders
HighlightsChinese e-commerce giant Alibaba reported that its Taobao Instant Commerce portal has exceeded 40 million daily orders within just one month of its launch. The Taobao Instant Commerce portal integrates merchants from Alibaba's food delivery service into the main Taobao shopping application. This initiative is part of a larger trend among Chinese online platforms that are investing billions of dollars into the development of instant retail services. Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba said Monday that its Taobao Instant Commerce portal, which delivers items within 60 minutes, has surpassed 40 million daily orders within a month of launching. The portal brings merchants from Alibaba's food delivery arm onto its main domestic shopping app , Taobao, and is part of a broader move among Chinese online platforms in recent months to invest billions in so-called "instant retail".
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Alibaba's new 'instant commerce' portal passes 40 million daily orders
Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba said Monday that its Taobao Instant Commerce portal, which delivers items within 60 minutes, has surpassed 40 million daily orders within a month of launching. The portal brings merchants from Alibaba's food delivery arm onto its main domestic shopping app , Taobao, and is part of a broader move among Chinese online platforms in recent months to invest billions in so-called "instant retail".
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Alibaba's new 'instant commerce' portal passes 40 million daily orders
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba announced that its new Taobao Instant Commerce portal has surpassed 40 million daily orders within a month of launch. Integrating merchants into Taobao, the service delivers items within 60 minutes, reflecting a wider trend among Chinese platforms investing heavily in rapid 'instant retail' solutions. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba said Monday that its Taobao Instant Commerce portal, which delivers items within 60 minutes, has surpassed 40 million daily orders within a month of portal brings merchants from Alibaba's food delivery arm onto its main domestic shopping app , Taobao, and is part of a broader move among Chinese online platforms in recent months to invest billions in so-called "instant retail".
South China Morning Post
02-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Alibaba launches Taobao fast-delivery service ahead of schedule
Published: 7:00pm, 2 May 2025 Hangzhou -based Alibaba said its Taobao Instant Commerce initiative was introduced 'ahead of schedule' on Friday, according to its post on Weibo . Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post, earlier this week said the service would be rolled out on May 6 and cover 50 major cities across China. The new service – covering categories that include food, groceries, electronics and clothing – was designed as an upgrade to Alibaba's original local delivery operation, with orders handled by food delivery unit . Alibaba's early introduction of the new Taobao service – targeting less than an hour to fulfil online orders of food and consumer items – reflects heightened domestic demand for efficient and affordable delivery, which has become a vital element of urban life in China. Such efficiency is made possible by China's millions of delivery workers and powerful algorithms used in the areas of warehousing, mapping and matching. For Taobao, China's largest online marketplace, fast delivery is also a means to help boost sales amid slow consumer spending .
