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Struggling with Taobao? It’s now available in English for Hongkongers

The Chinese e-commerce platform has soft-launched an English interface in Hong Kong

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The Taobao mobile application with English-language interface. Photo: Taobao

Published: 2:06pm, 17 Jan 2025Updated: 5:13pm, 17 Jan 2025

Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao has long been whispered about in certain circles as a Harry Potter-esque Room of Requirement, with everything from home furnishings and clothing, all the way to DIY Botox kits and romantic partners-for-rent – available for purchase with just the click of a button.

Yet, for the longest time, clicking that button wasn’t so simple for many would-be users in Hong Kong, as it necessitated a good grasp of Mandarin and an understanding of the intricacies of cross-border shipping. As part of a push to expand into overseas markets, Taobao has been revamping its model to make its vision of online shopping as seamless as possible.

The English version of the Taobao app translates in real time. Photo: Taobao

This began in August last year with a roll-out of free shipping for clothing on purchases of more than 99 yuan (US$13.50), which expanded in October to encompass a wide range of products, including electronics, cosmetics, home goods, sports equipment and more.

Now the shopping platform has quietly launched an English-language interface targeting English-speaking users. This includes features such as English product descriptions, local currency conversions and simplified navigation tailored to user preferences. New users can benefit from promotional offers, including discounts and free shipping on qualifying purchases.

Those looking to dive headlong into all that Taobao offers can navigate to the settings page after downloading the latest version of the app, then select Hong Kong from the country/region list, and English as the preferred language.

Using the Taobao app previously required a good grasp of Mandarin. Photo: Simon Song

The resulting English interface is certainly rough around the edges, with the app relying heavily on translating Chinese text in real time, but it’s a start for many users who had to rely on friends, or even third-party services, to order from Taobao.