Alibaba rebrands food delivery app Ele.me as Taobao Shangou in instant retail push

A beta version of the updated app, available to select users, adopts Taobao’s signature orange colour instead of Ele.me’s blue theme

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Published: 5:00pm, 4 Nov 2025

Alibaba Group Holding is rebranding its Chinese food delivery platform Ele.me as Taobao Shangou, aligning the service more closely with its flagship e-commerce ecosystem, as the company seeks to enhance synergy across its consumer businesses.

A logo of the beta version of the updated app, available to select users, adopts Taobao’s signature orange colour, according to screenshots seen on Chinese social media.

The move aligns with Alibaba’s recent efforts to phase out Ele.me’s original branding, with its blue courier uniforms being replaced with bright orange outfits resembling Formula One racing suits, featuring logos from various Alibaba units.

Alibaba, owner of the Post, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Taobao Shangou, which means “flash shopping” in Chinese, was launched in April within the Taobao marketplace app and uses Ele.me’s courier network for deliveries.

Alibaba is in the process of replacing the blue uniforms of its Ele.me drivers. Photo: Getty Images

The initiative marked Alibaba’s entry into the country’s heated instant commerce sector, a retail model focusing on providing fast delivery – typically under an hour – for a wide range of products such as groceries, household items and consumer electronics.

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