Malaysia and Singapore have become the first markets to have access to Taobao in English. The popular e-commerce site from China has exclusively been available only in Chinese since its inception, but for the first time, English-speakers will also be able to shop on the platform without the language barrier.
While the English interface is still in beta, it already offers a usable experience as well as detailed descriptions of items. Moreover, each item on the app even has an estimated price conversion in Malaysian Ringgit (RM), making it more accessible for local users here. According to the company, all the English translations are automatically executed via AI.
The reason why Malaysia was chosen as one of the first countries to have access to the beta is apparently because we rank third in Asia when it comes to English proficiency, following Singapore and the Philippines. Taobao says it will continuously refine the English beta interface based on feedback from users, and it even provides customer support in both English and Chinese.
Last Month, Malaysia was included as one of the select few countries to receive free shipping for fashion item purchases over CNY199 (~RM121). To celebrate the launch of the English beta, Taobao is also introducing several vouchers for new users as well as a free return within 15 days for a user’s first return. As for payment methods, Malaysian users can use credit and debit cards, Antom, credit card instalments, online banking, and e-wallets.
