On April 17, Alibaba’s Taobao app topped the download list in 16 countries, including France, Canada, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Russia. It also ranked in the top 10 in 123 countries. Between April 12 and 15, Taobao’s overseas downloads surged from 104,000 to 326,000. iOS downloads in North America and Europe jumped by 483% and 439%, respectively. Taobao is a major digital retail platform that offers nearly one billion users a wide range of online goods. The app supports local e-wallets and credit cards, cross-border shipping, and in some cases, free delivery and local returns.
Following the spike in global downloads, the hashtag #淘宝客服英语咨询量暴增 Taobao English Customer Service Requests Surge began trending on Weibo on April 17. Many netizens shared screenshots of Taobao merchants chatting with customers in English, with some saying their customer service teams are now undergoing English training. One shop even posted a banner: “Welcome global shoppers!”
Chen Qiaozhi, who runs a women’s clothing store on Taobao, said that since April 12, his team has been handling a dozen inquiries everyday that are “clearly not from Chinese customers.” “Some use machine-translated Chinese, others write directly in English,” he said. A screenshot from his store’s backend showed that between April 12 and 15, international visitors increased by 11%, and overseas buyers rose 4.2% compared to the previous quarter.
Taobao’s customer service team confirmed a rise in inquiries from users in the U.S., France, and Australia, with top concerns including how to switch the app to English, how to use certain features, and whether Taobao plans to add more translation tools.
With the U.S. continuing to impose tariffs on Chinese goods, more Chinese suppliers and manufacturers are turning to platforms like TikTok to market their products and supply chain advantages to American consumers. Many influencers have also started sharing how-to videos on using Taobao. Beyond Taobao, several other Chinese e-commerce apps are also seeing a surge in global downloads.
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