Taobao, a popular online shopping platform, today announced its official launch in Kazakhstan with the introduction of its new Russian-language application interface and its unveiling of plans to build further connections with the local market. The initiative aims to enable Kazakhstani shoppers to access a world of diverse product offerings directly from the platform.
As a cornerstone of China’s e-commerce landscape, Taobao not only offers a wide variety of products but also transforms how hundreds of millions of consumers shop through its engaging, personalized shopping experience. Today, Taobao is more than just a place to shop—it’s where users discover trends and seek inspiration. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, Taobao and its brand-focused sister platform, Tmall, together constituted the world’s largest digital retail business in terms of gross merchandise volume (GMV), according to Analysys.
In recent years, Taobao has expanded its footprint to global markets, achieving significant popularity in markets such as Singapore and Malaysia.
“We are thrilled to officially introduce Taobao in Kazakstan with the launch of a new language option, which marks our first major step toward engaging with users in Kazakhstan and the broader Central Asia region. By removing language barriers, we hope to provide local users with seamless access to our vast and diverse product range, especially in categories such as fashion and fashion accessories, home and living products, and mother and baby products,” said Caroline Ren, Head of Taobao Central Asia.
Taobao’s app new interface, powered by advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology, provides translations across all major phases of users’ shopping journey. By offering detailed product descriptions in a language familiar to local users, price conversions in Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT) and a straightforward user interface, Taobao aims to make cross-border shopping more intuitive and enjoyable for Kazakhstani users. As a start, the new interface will feature a curated selection of trending products, and will eventually offer a much wider product assortment to ensure it gives users the variety parallel to that offered on the Chinese interface.
Since launching its localization efforts in 2024, Taobao has made significant progress in creating a shopping experience tailored to the needs of Kazakhstani users. The platform now supports payment methods including Visa, MasterCard and Alipay International in Kazakhstan, with plans to introduce additional options in the future. Committed to adhering to local government regulations, Taobao Kazakhstan’s parent entity is registered as a value-added tax (VAT) payer in Kazakhstan. Taobao displays the applicable VAT for each purchase and incorporates it into the final price at checkout, providing a seamless experience while ensuring transparency in pricing.
Additionally, Taobao has been actively working to develop a robust logistics infrastructure in Kazakhstan, which is fundamental to a smooth and reliable shopping experience. Users can choose between doorstep delivery or pick-up at a location of their choice, and they can easily track their orders through the platform’s order-tracking features. Currently, Taobao boasts a network of more than 200 self-pickup points across Kazakhstan, covering major cities Almaty and Astana, and extending to other regions. Free shipping is available on a wide range of items for orders with a minimum spend of RMB99 (approximately 6990 KZT).
“The launch today represents just the beginning of our journey in serving the Kazakhstani market. Looking ahead, we are dedicated to further localizing our operations, including enhancing our logistics infrastructure with support from Cainiao, our logistics cooperator, and introducing a Kazakh-language interface. Our mission goes beyond simply facilitating online shopping—preparation is also underway to curate and promote Kazakh products to Chinese consumers through the Tmall Global platform. We are excited about the road ahead and look forward to building even stronger connections with the Kazakh market,” added Ren.
In celebration of the launch of the Russian app interface, new users in Kazakhstan can shop on the Taobao app and enjoy a limited-time offer of RMB30 (approximately 2,120 KZT) off any purchase of RMB31(approximately 2,120 KZT) or above. Taobao also invites users to share their unboxing content for a chance to earn up to RMB200 (approximately 14 120 KZT) in shopping vouchers.
The Taobao app is available to download for free on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. For more details of the platform and its ongoing promotions, please visit Taobao Kazakhstan’s Instagram and TikTok channels or visit the Taobao app.
About Taobao Kazakhstan
Taobao Kazakhstan aims to facilitate convenient shopping on Taobao and Tmall for consumers in Kazakhstan. Through the Taobao app, Kazakhstani shoppers can access billions of products, complete with logistics, payment and other services and offers tailored to their individual market needs.