Taobao Upgrades 6 Refreshed Experiences for Cross-Border Users

New "DISCOVER" Channel Connects Global Shoppers with Curated Brands and Distinctive Products from China

SYDNEY, Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Taobao Tmall World ("Taobao") today announced a comprehensive upgrade to its

cross-border shopping experience, expanding direct access worldwide to curated stores and products from China known for their quality, distinctiveness, and originality. Taobao has identified a trend in cross-border demand for Chinese goods, from seeking "low prices" to prioritizing "distinctiveness" and "quality." To meet this evolving need, Taobao is leveraging its catalog of over 3 billion products available for cross-border purchase and its trusted official logistics network. On the supply side, Taobao is combining AI with human curation through a four-criteria selection framework – Quality, Distinctiveness, Price Competitiveness, and Service – to establish the "Taobao Curated Supply System", which systematically identifies distinctive, well-made stores and products and recommends them to cross-border shoppers on an ongoing basis. At the same time, the app is refining its recommendation algorithms, enhancing AI shopping assistants, and launching the new "DISCOVER" channel to spotlight distinctive brands.

Kicking off with the Double 11 Festival, Taobao is partnering with popular actor Zhang Linghe to promote to cross-border shoppers worldwide the six refreshed experiences of the "Everything and Anything" brand following its comprehensive upgrade: QUALITY, TASTE, LIFESTYLE, TRENDY, SMART, and SURPRISE. This move leads cross-border e-commerce from traditional "shelf-based search" into a new era of "discovery-driven shopping."

Global Demand for Original Chinese Brands Keeps Heating Up

Riding the "Quality and Distinctiveness" Wave, Taobao Unveils Six Refreshed User Experiences

In recent years, original Chinese products and content, including designer toys, dramas, animation, and games, have captivated global audiences. Many international travelers use the Taobao app the moment they arrive in China, ordering unique finds and having them delivered directly to their hotels. This growing demand for discovering distinctive "original Chinese brands and products" that are hard to find locally continues to gain momentum in many different ways. Taobao has also observed a clear shift in cross-border shopping preferences: from price-driven purchases to those centered on quality, distinctiveness, and personal taste. During the 2025 Double 11 Festival, the number of cross-border users choosing higher-priced items increased significantly, with high-value shoppers (spending over RMB 500 per order) growing by 10% year-on-year. The data shows that cross-border consumers are moving beyond basic availability and affordability toward a higher standard: "buying quality and buying distinctive."

Ye Tian, General Manager of Taobao Tmall World, said: "The core value of Taobao is anchored in a cross-border catalog of over 3 billion products offering quality at competitive prices, reinforced by trusted cross-border logistics and localized services we have been building in individual markets over time. This ecosystem empowers cross-border users to fulfill diverse lifestyle needs and express personal style through shopping. Responding to users' increasingly evolving expectations, we have launched an upgrade across six refreshed user experiences this year—spanning a curated supply system built on the four criteria of quality, distinctiveness, price competitiveness, and service, in-app feature enhancements, the new DISCOVER channel, advanced AI shopping assistants, a redesigned user interface for cross-border shoppers, and upgraded cross-border logistics. Every critical touchpoint in the cross-border shopping journey has been refreshed. We invite users everywhere to open the Taobao app now and experience the joy of discovery-driven shopping on "Everything and Anything" firsthand."

Responding to the global trend, Taobao strengthens the "Everything and Anything" brand value globally, meeting users' needs in each market for more personalized, more joyful everyday exploration and discovery. The six refreshed user experiences are defined as follows:

1. QUALITY: Enjoy Trusted Quality on Taobao.
2. TASTE: Shop Stylish Designs on Taobao.
3. LIFESTYLE: Embrace Diverse Lifestyle on Taobao.
4. TRENDY: Catch the Viral Trends on Taobao.
5. SMART: Upgrade to a Smarter Life on Taobao.
6. SURPRISE: Discover Unexpected Finds on Taobao.

More than Choice, Value and Local Service: Discover Exclusive Products on Taobao

New Curated Supply System Brings China's Signature Stores to the World

Taobao's strength in product selection is powered by China's comprehensive and agile manufacturing supply chain and its vibrant merchant ecosystem. Cross-border users can already buy over 3 billion products on Taobao, spanning apparel and accessories, home and furniture, smart electronics, pet supplies, designer toys, sports and outdoor products, and more – meeting everyday needs while serving niche interests and fast-moving trends. This delivers Taobao's signature "Everything and Anything" promise: whatever you need, always within reach.

With this brand experience upgrade, Taobao is further strengthening its supply of distinctive stores and products, making it easier for cross-border users to discover well-made and well-designed stores from China. Building on existing breadth, efficiency and price advantage, Taobao has applied its four criteria - quality, distinctiveness, price competitiveness, and service – and integrated AI-driven selection with human expertise to build a systematic curation framework. From the vast catalog, it has unearthed over 4,000 original-brand stores and 6 million curated products, creating a distinctive selection of products for cross-border shoppers. Through dynamic updates and always-on recommendations, users need only open the Taobao app to instantly find quality goods, new trends, and distinctive items rarely seen in their local markets.

From Shelf-Based Search to the Joy of Discovery

Taobao "DISCOVER" Channel Is Live — Curated Finds, Premium Quality, Endless Joy

The all-new DISCOVER channel is now live. Built on the Taobao Curated Supply System, it organizes distinctive stores and products into 15 themed categories – women's fashion, women's footwear, menswear, furniture, toys, stationery, pet supplies, fitness, and automotive accessories, among others – tailored to the categories, interests and lifestyles cross-border users love most. Powered by an upgraded personalization algorithm, the channel surfaces stores and curated items upon entry. Users can explore brands' signature aesthetics, hero products, and brand story, effortlessly finding pieces that match their personal style and taste.

Note: The DISCOVER feature is only available on the Chinese version of the Taobao app. The multilingual version does not support this function.

Taobao is also continuing to refine its AI shopping assistant suite, including AI Try-On, AI Virtual Makeup, AR Room Placement for furniture, Voice-Search-by-Hold, and AI Pet Care Guides. These tools help users judge sizing, how pieces coordinate, and how large furniture will look in their space, removing friction from buying certain categories online. Taobao will also roll out more than 30 AI Lifestyle Experts covering topics such as styling and baking. 

Through in-depth conversation, these AI experts help users pinpoint their true needs and cut through choice overload, helping them find products that better meet their needs amidst a vast catalog.

Regarding localized content, the Taobao app regularly publishes local topic series such as "Taobao NowWear," "Taobao Trend," and local rankings, weaving product discovery into the topics local shoppers are already buzzing about and bringing the shopping experience closer to everyday needs.

Taobao Official Logistics: A Comprehensive Upgrade for Seamless Global Delivery

On-Time Delivery with Loss/Damage Compensation • Flat-Rate Shipping for Bulky Items • Easier Local Return Experience

Since 2016, Taobao has continuously invested in cross-border infrastructure, culminating in a direct-shipping network covering 20 markets by 2025, with free shipping introduced in select markets. This year, Taobao Official Logistics takes another step up, elevating the user experience through three core pillars - GUARANTEE, CONVENIENCE, and ASSURANCE – to deliver a trustworthy and highly predictable journey for cross-border users.

• GUARANTEE: Taobao's official logistics guarantees cross-border users both transparent costs and stable delivery times — a dual certainty. Depending on market conditions, Taobao offers tiered delivery commitments such as 1-, 3- and 6-day options, so Taobao's specialty goods arrive on the scheduled date at the agreed shipping cost.
• CONVENIENCE: Simpler, within-reach cross-border logistics — one-tap direct shipping, end-to-end parcel tracking, and flat-rate direct shipping for bulky items across 10 markets worldwide. And Taobao Official Logistics now offers door-to-door delivery and installation in Hong Kong, China. Singapore has already reached a milestone of free shipping on large furniture, significantly lowering the barrier to using cross-border logistics.
• ASSURANCE: Taobao promises compensation for any lost or damaged parcel, backed by one-stop platform customer service that assists users throughout the process. The Local Returns service is further upgraded in 13 markets, so more cross-border users can return items conveniently nearby.