Alibaba’s Taobao launches new channel for senior citizens

Alibaba’s C2C e-commerce site Taobao has launched a new version of its mobile application that caters specifically to senior citizens and the people in their lives.

Taobao for retirees will make it easier for them to register an account and browse products, delivering an improved user experience, from personalised recommendations to after-sales service, said Ding Jian, the channel’s Head of Development. It also includes a new peer-to-peer chat function, allowing family members to share products and consult or help one another in one click, as well as a new “pay-for-me” option to pay for another person’s purchases.

The move is the first this year by Taobao to refine services based on different consumer groups. “We want Taobao to become a bridge, one that helps them strengthen relationships with the younger generation, brings them closer together,” Jian says.

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“The new channel expands the current Taobao from a tool for individuals to a more-social shopping destination for our relatives, partners and children…a shared place where we can seamlessly exchange product information and interact with eachother as a unit,” comments Product Manager Zhang Xiaoyu.