Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao has announced a major upgrade to its cross-border shopping experience, introducing six refreshed user experiences and a new DISCOVER channel designed to connect global shoppers with curated Chinese brands and distinctive products.
Timed to coincide with the Double 11 Festival, the upgrade covers everything from a redesigned curation system and AI shopping tools to improved logistics across 20 markets worldwide. The platform has identified a clear shift in cross-border shopping behavior, with consumers moving away from price-driven purchases toward quality, distinctiveness, and personal taste. During the 2025 Double 11 Festival, high-value shoppers spending over RM300 per order grew by 10% year-on-year.
Taobao Introduces New Cross-Border Shopping Experience
At the heart of the upgrade is the Taobao Curated Supply System, which combines AI with human editorial judgement across four criteria: Quality, Distinctiveness, Price Competitiveness, and Service. From a catalog of over 3 billion cross-border products, Taobao has identified more than 4,000 original-brand stores and 6 million curated products for cross-border shoppers.
The six refreshed user experiences are branded as QUALITY, TASTE, LIFESTYLE, TRENDY, SMART, and SURPRISE. The Chinese shopping giant is partnering with popular actor Zhang Linghe to promote these experiences to cross-border users globally as part of the Double 11 campaign.
The new DISCOVER channel is now live on the Chinese version of the Taobao app. Built on the Curated Supply System, it organises distinctive stores and products into 15 themed categories, covering women’s fashion, footwear, menswear, furniture, toys, stationery, pet supplies, fitness, and automotive accessories, among others. A personalization algorithm surfaces stores and curated items upon entry, allowing users to explore brand aesthetics, hero products, and brand stories.
Taobao is also expanding its AI shopping assistant suite, with tools currently available include AI Try-On, AI Virtual Makeup, AR Room Placement for furniture, Voice-Search-by-Hold, and AI Pet Care Guides. The platform will further roll out more than 30 AI Lifestyle Experts covering topics such as styling and baking, designed to help users navigate the vast catalog through conversations.
Localized content features such as “Taobao NowWear,” “Taobao Trend,” and local rankings are also being integrated into the app to tie product discovery to topics relevant to shoppers in each market, including Malaysia.
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