Taobao looks to young creativity for growth
Platform showcases people offering original ideas as it seeks to shift focus away from low-priced goods towards originality
In the latest effort to shake off its reputation as a source for cheap, counterfeit goods, e-commerce giant Alibaba is showcasing people selling original items on its flagship Taobao platform.
Presenting 72 sellers who developed their own brands during the three-day Taobao Maker Festival in Shanghai from Friday to today, the company vowed to transform the marketplace into a bastion for creativity amid the nation’s larger drive to foster innovation.
Millennials are the driving force behind Taobao, with more than 70 per cent of buyers in their 20s and 30s
Alibaba was working with authorities to help the brand owners, who were often young and lacked the experience and resources to protect their intellectual property, secure patent and trademark rights, said Taobao’s vice-president Zhang Qin.
China’s largest online marketplace had undergone a transformation in recent years as the number of young users and sellers grew and overall consumption habits changed, chief marketing officer Chris Tung said.
“Millennials are the driving force behind Taobao, with more than 70 per cent of buyers in their 20s and 30s,” Tung said. More than a third of shop owners were born after 1990, he said.
“Today they’re not just buying, but making things too,” he said, calling for more young people to bring their ideas and designs to the world through the platform.
Meng Chao, an independent furniture designer selling on Taobao, said he chose to use the platform because overheads were low, and the market was huge. “It’s a big place where I can be part of the competition, where I can learn if I have value,” Meng said.