Everything’s conveniently translated!
Singaporeans always love a good bargain – which is why Taobao is such a popular shopping go-to among locals. It’s perfectly understandable, seeing how items often go for a fraction of the retail prices in Singapore. The ebay-like e-commerce platform has everything from apparels, electronics to even furnitures.
Not many know this, but Taobao is actually owned by Alibaba. And just last year, Alibaba paid out US$1 billion to take a large stake in Lazada, the Amazon of Southeast Asia.
And that acquisition is not for nothing since Alibaba will be bringing its teeming internet marketplace to Singapore. It will be a partnership with Lazada, and they aim to ease the whole buying process on Taobao.
Watch Out EZBuy!
With third-party agents like EZBuy, you might think this is old news but Lazada’s new website will offer you a much easier and hassle-free shopping experience. Besides, I’m sure we all know how frustrating EZBuy can be – from the two-time payment to the confusing variety of shipping methods.
Buying through an agent also makes returning your orders a hassle which is often the case since the sizing for clothes on Taobao is not as universal. Some just resort to selling it on Carousell or just leaving it altogether. Plus, the agent fee is not reflected at the point of purchase.
Taobao.Lazada.Sg
Their dedicated website is conveniently translated to English, which means you do not have to worry about shipping methods, returning and payment methods. The delivery fee for the Taobao collection is a flat $2.99, so much cheaper than the average shipping cost. It now just works like any other e-commerce websites – transparent and quick.
For a start, the new site is launching with only 400,000 Taobao products. However, it’s expected to increase with time.
The Right Step For The Chinese E-Commerce
It’s a small step for Alibaba, and their ambitions to expand beyond a slowing Chinese home market. But they are one step ahead of Amazon Inc., who is expected to enter the fast-growing Southeast Asian market in 2017.
This new initiative will make shopping on Taobao effortless, perhaps even be the next Zalora, maybe with a longer shipping period.
