Coronavirus, Alibaba and Taobao live: the new online life of closed stores

Taobao Live, Alibaba Group’s streaming channel, is the possibility for small traders forced to close to sell their products online. While the health emergency forces stores to close, in fact, the online world remains crucial.

Coronavirus is bending the world economy, but the example of China, which first suffered its damage, can be a guide for everyone. Taobao Taobao Live, Alibaba Group’s livestreaming channel, wants to help physical retailers use its technologies to enhance the consumer shopping experience.

During an industry event held on the last days of April, Taobao Live announced plans to help over 200,000 retail stores and 100 markets this year, such as traditional wholesale markets in the Chinese city of Yiwu.

According to the latest Taobao Live data, the gross volume of goods generated by the platform has grown by 150% per year for three con“The current health crisis has been a wake-up call for many merchants,” said Taobao’s senior director of e-commerce content Yu Feng. “It has pushed many to accelerate their digital update, so as to make activities more dynamic and resistant”. While offline operating modes were interrupted by the coronavirus emergency, Taobao Live offered companies a lifeline to reach a large audience, given the over 800 million monthly active users who visit Alibaba’s e-commerce sites. In February, Taobao Live removed registration fees for small merchants. The result is that the number of subscribers to the platform has increased by 719% compared to the previous month.