Alibaba's Taobao Deals to roll out more direct-from-producer products

The app saw 100 million users during its first year.

Alibaba’s direct-to-factory e-commerce app Taobao Deals has expressed plans to add more direct-from-farm and direct-from-brand products such as fresh produce and fast fashion clothing to cater to China’s lower-tier cities and rural areas, a press release revealed.

The app marked its one-year anniversary, recording 100 million users over the year. The company noted that over the past 12 months, the pandemic accelerated digital adoption even in areas relatively untouched by e-commerce.

“The opportunity to tap into China’s less-developed areas has attracted more than 1.2 million suppliers to the platform so far. Alibaba is also scaling its supply chain and logistics support to traditional manufacturers, offering them a one-stop digital platform to reduce the costs of direct-to-consumer sales and increase online operating efficiency,” the company said.