Retail in Asia

In Trends

Alibaba unveils incentives for Taobao merchants to embrace m-commerce

The estimated seven million merchants selling on the Taobao marketplace are getting an incentive from Alibaba.com to shift from PC-based online shopping to mobile shopping.

China’s e-commerce giant is offering merchants support through the mobile-service package it unveiled on Monday, which it said will make it easier for them to make the switch.

Alizila, the e-commerce and corporate news website of Alibaba, reported that the packages range from CNY1,699 (USD279) to CNY2,699 (USD443) and includes a starter guide on how to set up online store for mobile devices.

All package also comes with data analysis tools and e-book coupons, while the expensive packages include guidance on legal matters. As an added bonus, the company is also giving away every subscriber a free smartphone running on Alibaba’s mobile operating system.

Alibaba Group Chief Executive Jonathan Lu, who has made m-commerce as the centerpiece of the company’s strategy since coming on board, was quoted as saying the the mobile support for merchants can speed up m-commerce adoption, drive domestic consumption and eventually spur employment.

Proof of m-commerce growing importance is the recent Single’s Day 11.11 Shopping festival, which netted sales of CNY35billion worth of goods in one day. Alizila said 21 percent of the total number of transactions during the 24-hour sale were completed through mobile devices.

The report added that Taobao customers who shop with mobile devices now number 320 million. "In the future, the smartphone will become one of the main channels for people to shop," Eddie Wu, Alibaba Group senior vice president, said.