Taobao topped Singapore’s App Store charts after launching an AI-powered English version, enhancing accessibility for non-Chinese users. Singapore and Malaysia are the first markets to offer this update, with AI translations simplifying shopping though the experience has some imperfections like literal translations and currency display issues. Alibaba’s global expansion reflects a trend of Chinese companies using Singapore as a testbed to reach Western markets, while leveraging the region’s large Chinese diaspora. The logo of Alibaba’s e-commerce app Taobao is displayed next to mobile phones displaying the app, in this illustration picture taken October 25, 2023. Reuters | Florence Lo
Singapore — Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba‘s Taobao shopping app topped the Apple App Store charts in Singapore after releasing an English version on Tuesday — thanks to translations powered by artificial intelligence.
That’s according to Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm whose data shows Taobao shot to first place in Apple’s Singapore App Store across all categories, as of Sept. 11. On Tuesday, the day the English-language version was announced, the app rose from fifth to first place in the shopping category.
Prior to this, the Taobao app had still enjoyed relative popularity and was consistently ranked in the top ten shopping apps for iPhone users from mid-August onwards, according to Sensor Tower.
The new update “highlights Taobao’s dedication to serving its Singapore users, who have shown a strong desire for an English-language interface, reflecting their diverse language fluency,” Alibaba said in a press release Tuesday. It did not elaborate on the AI translation features. The company has its own AI model.
The release said the new platform “enhances accessibility for non-Chinese users, eliminating their need for manual translations
