Taobao Spends $19 Million to Win Over Singapore Shoppers

Chinese shopping app Taobao is putting 100 million yuan — about S$19 million — into promotions in Singapore for its famous 11.11 Singles' Day sale. The sale started on October 20 and runs until November 13. It is the biggest sale Taobao holds each year, and the company is using it to get more Singaporean shoppers to use its app. To do that, Taobao is spending about 30 percent more on marketing in Singapore in 2026 than it did in 2025.

The $19 million budget covers several things, including free shipping vouchers and shopping vouchers for customers. Taobao is also paying for physical advertisements around Singapore, such as about 200 large screens in the city's business district and in residential neighborhoods. Spending on those physical ads is double what Taobao spent during the 11.11 season in 2025. Cora Cai, Taobao's head for Singapore, shared these details at a press conference in Hong Kong on October 16.

Taobao has also been making it easier and cheaper to shop on its platform. Since August 2026, the app has offered free shipping with no minimum order amount on many products, including clothing, sports gear, and baby items. Shoppers can also pay an extra dollar to upgrade their delivery to air shipping and get their order in as few as five days. On top of that, Taobao now accepts PayNow, a popular payment method in Singapore, making checkout even simpler.

Cai said Singapore is an important market because Singaporeans have a strong interest in Chinese brands. She noted that 70 percent of Singaporean online shoppers buy clothing from Taobao. Furniture is growing quickly too, especially among people who are setting up new homes. Cai also said that Chinese brands often choose Singapore as their first stop when expanding into Southeast Asia, making it a key location for Taobao's international growth.

Taobao has competition from other Chinese shopping apps, especially Pinduoduo, which attracts shoppers by offering very low prices. To stand out, Taobao says it focuses on variety and helping shoppers find exactly what they need. Cai explained that today's consumers do not just buy something because it is cheap — they buy it because they truly want or need it. Taobao wants to make it faster and easier for shoppers to discover the right products for them.

To do that, Taobao is using artificial intelligence, or AI, to improve how the app works. New features include a recommendation system built for local shoppers and smarter AI shopping assistants. Right now, many of these AI tools only work well in the Chinese language version of the app. However, Taobao plans to roll out AI features in English and other languages over the next year to reach more shoppers across the Asia-Pacific region.

Taobao is owned by a larger company called Alibaba Group. Alibaba recently reported that its sales grew, partly because of strong global interest in AI technology. Even so, the company's net profit — the money it keeps after paying all its costs — dropped by 76 percent compared to the same time last year. That big drop came from large investments Alibaba is making and from a tough economic environment in China. This means Alibaba is spending a lot now, hoping it will pay off in the future.