HONG KONG – Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao is investing 100 million yuan (S$19 million) in Singapore’s promotions for its 11.11 Singles’ Day sale, which kicked off on Oct 20.
The e-commerce company’s biggest sale of the year – which runs till Nov 13 – is part of Taobao’s efforts to expand its presence here.
The 100 million yuan includes free shipping vouchers, physical advertising on public transport in Singapore, and shopping vouchers for customers, said Cora Cai, Taobao’s Singapore country head, at a press conference on Oct 16 in Hong Kong.
The physical advertisements in Singapore include about 200 big screens in the central business district and residential areas, with spending double that of 2025’s 11.11 season, Cai said.
This is part of Taobao’s continued investment in the Singapore market and its overall expansion into foreign markets, Cai said.
Since introducing free shipping with $0 minimum spend in August 2026, Taobao has expanded eligible products across fashion apparel, sports and outdoors, and maternity and baby products categories, with the majority of trending fashion apparel now eligible for free shipping.
Taobao has also introduced air express delivery, allowing users to upgrade eligible parcels to air shipping for as little as $1, to receive their purchases as quickly as in five days.
The e-commerce platform also started accepting payments via PayNow in October.
“Singapore is one of the countries we’re expanding in as the appetite for Chinese brands is high in Singapore,” said Cai.
“Singapore has become a hub for Chinese brands to go overseas in South-east Asia – they often pick Singapore as their first stop in the region.”
She said 70% of Singaporean online shoppers buy clothing from Taobao, while furniture is emerging as the fastest-growing category among Singaporean homebuyers.
Taobao faces fierce competition from other Chinese e-commerce platforms, such as Pinduoduo, which competes on price by offering heavily discounted products.
Cai said that Taobao intends to differentiate itself through its large variety of products and its technical capabilities to help consumers find what they want.
“Consumers nowadays don’t buy an item just because it’s cheap; they buy it because they actually need it,” she said.
“We aim to upgrade our overall shopping guide capabilities so consumers can find what they want faster. Simultaneously, through AI and curation, we ensure that products genuinely suited for the local market are visible.”.
The app’s new AI features include a localised recommendation algorithm and enhanced AI shopping assistants, said Ye Tian, general manager of Taobao Tmall Overseas.
Currently, many of these advanced AI tools are optimised only in the Mandarin version of the app.
AI functions in other languages, including English, are in the pipeline over the next year, as the platform targets broader demographics across the Asia-Pacific region, said Taobao.
Taobao declined to comment on how much it invested in its latest AI upgrades.
Its parent company, Alibaba Group, on Aug 20 reported higher revenue of its most recent quarter, boosted by the global artificial intelligence frenzy driving demand for its products.
However, net profit plunged 76 per cent year on year to 10.5 billion yuan, reflecting the impact of large strategic investments and economic pressure in its home market.
