Taobao released a multilingual version of the Tmall 618 Shopping Guide, funny and useful!
On May 28, Taobao partnered with Duolingo to release a multilingual version of the Tmall 618 Shopping Guide. The guide is available in nine common languages: Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Vietnamese, as well as six lesser-known languages: Urdu, Georgian, Telugu, Malou Language, Cat Language, and Martian (火星文).
Taobao's Weibo post officially releasing a multilingual version of the "Tmall 618 Shopping Guide." Image: Weibo
Examples: English, Japanese, French versions of Tmall 618 Shopping Guide. Images: Taobao's Weibo Post
Examples: Trending Cat Language (猫语, mainly "miao miao miao ~"), Malou Language (吗喽语, mainly "呜哦呜哦~"), and Martian (火星文) for Tmall 618 Shopping Guide. Images: Taobao's Weibo Post
This fun collaboration originated from a request by a French netizen. On the evening of May 20, when the Tmall "618" shopping festival officially began, a French user named Vincent sent a private message through Taobao's Weibo account, asking for recommendations on "618" discounts.
After Taobao reposted his request, numerous users provided shopping suggestions in the comments. In response, Taobao quickly released a bilingual Chinese-English "Shopping Guide" overnight. The guides not only offer basic information about the shopping festival and discount strategies but also include trendy elements. For example, the Malou language phrase "woo oh woo oh ( 呜哦呜哦)," popular on social media platforms, and the nostalgic Martian language adding extra reading pleasure for users.
A French user named Vincent sent a private message through Taobao's Weibo account, asking for recommendations on "618" discounts. Images: Taobao's Weibo Post
Duolingo (多邻国), founded in 2012, is an online language learning app with over 500 million users worldwide. In China, its users are primarily between 18 and 45 years old, consisting mainly of middle school students, university students, and young professionals. These groups are also key online shoppers in China. By collaborating with this highly discussed app among young people, Taobao effectively increased its visibility and popularity, driving traffic to the upcoming "618" shopping festival.
Duolingo official website
Taobao’s collaboration with Duolingo is not just a quick response to user trends, but it also aims to strengthen Alibaba’s international brand image following on from signing on David Beckham as a global ambassador as Temu and Shein have been eating Alibaba’s lunch. It also hopes to expand the influence of "618" globally, while providing quirky, viral content that appeals to Chinese consumers.
Despite increasing geopolitical tensions, rising nationalism and Covid fears, imports of consumer goods grew 8.2% in China last year. Sales of domestic goods contracted 3.9%. Chinese consumers' historic pursuit for beauty helped see imported cosmetics as one of the biggest drivers of this growth, with their value rising over 30% according to China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) figures published last week.The strong growth in cosmetics imports further reinforces the attractiveness of foreign skincare brands, and is well timed to coincide with the launch of the China Skinny Skincare Tracker.