Jack Ma can't sit still! Taobao has made another big move in Southeast Asia, with skyrocketing downloads

Recently, Jack Ma has not been idle, and Taobao has been making moves in overseas markets one after another.

The latest news shows that Taobao plans to launch a Malay language interface on its Malaysia site before June this year, making a full push into the Malaysian market. Behind this is Taobao’s accelerated expansion in Southeast Asia and even the global market.

Image source: Facebook

Malaysia becomes a key battleground, Chinese users are the main force

Last September, after Taobao launched its English interface in Singapore and Malaysia, downloads soared. Data shows that downloads in Malaysia surged 400% year-on-year, and Singapore increased by 350%. As of April 16, 2025, Taobao has firmly ranked second in downloads among iOS shopping apps in Malaysia, and local users’ trust in the platform is visibly strong.

Image source: technave

Choosing Malaysia is not surprising. Southeast Asia is home to 68% of the world’s overseas Chinese, who are very familiar with Taobao’s clothing, home goods, and other products. Bai Ying, head of Taobao Tmall’s overseas growth plan, once publicly stated: “There are many Chinese and overseas student groups abroad who really want to buy things from Taobao, but due to high cross-border logistics costs, their shopping needs have not been fully met. These groups are very suitable for our merchants, because Chinese goods don’t need to be reorganized.”

Image source: technave

The free shipping plan works wonders, some merchants earned 600,000 more in three days

For cross-border shopping, logistics has always been a hurdle. Taobao clearly understands this and has put a lot of effort into optimizing logistics.

In August 2024, Taobao, together with Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group and Tmall, launched the “Global Free Shipping Plan,” initially covering Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, and other Asian regions. The free shipping threshold varies by region: in Malaysia, free shipping for orders over 199 yuan, in Hong Kong, free shipping for orders over 99 yuan.

This move directly boosted sales. After participating in the campaign, some clothing merchants saw their daily profits increase by 200,000 yuan in just three days. By the end of 2024, Taobao expanded free shipping to Australia, and then to more than 200 countries and regions worldwide. During the 2024 Double 11, among the more than 70,000 merchants participating in free shipping, transaction volume doubled year-on-year, with apparel sales soaring by 207%.

Taobao Malaysia Free Shipping Image source: Taobao

The US raises tariffs, but Taobao downloads rise by 483%

Just as Taobao was making steady progress, the international situation in April this year provided an unexpected boost.

The Trump administration’s tariff policy actually stimulated European and American consumers to snap up Chinese goods. From April 12 to 15, Taobao’s overseas downloads surged 222% week-on-week, with North American iOS downloads up 483% and Europe up 439%. By April 17, Taobao ranked second on the US app download chart, topped the list in 16 countries, and entered the top ten in 123 countries.

Although this surge may not last long, it was equivalent to a free global promotion for Taobao. Many overseas users realized for the first time that besides Amazon, there is a “treasure app” where they can buy goods directly from Chinese factories.

Taobao ranks second on the US download chart Image source: Cross-border E-commerce Cross-border House

Jack Ma’s next goal: Buy globally, sell globally

At present, Taobao’s overseas strategy is very clear: first use Chinese communities to open the market, then attract more users with localized features. The Malay interface is just the beginning; in the future, more language versions may be launched for markets like Thailand and Vietnam.

However, the challenges are not small. Local Southeast Asian e-commerce platforms like Lazada and Shopee have long established their presence, and giants like Amazon dominate the European and American markets. But with Alibaba’s supply chain and domestic merchant resources behind it, plus the free shipping strategy honed in recent years, it’s hard to predict the outcome.

At this rate, in another year or two, overseas users buying Chinese goods on Taobao may become as common as it is in China.

This time, Jack Ma is truly leading Taobao to conquer the world.