Twenty-four-hour Taobao – A Self Experiment

A Trusty Virtual Space

My Taobao registration made me one of Taobao’s more than 500 million registered users. In the international Alexa ranking, Taobao ranks 12th of all websites with the most traffic worldwide. Nationally, Taobao comes four places below Chinese search engine Baidu, and eight below the messenger platform Tencent QQ.

A couple more mouse-clicks took me to the next item on the daily agenda – lunch. Can Taobao also get me something for lunch? Yes it can! Upon keying in the Chinese for “food” in the Taobao search engine you entered a crazy gourmet paradise whose wonders range from local Chinese snacks, international ingredients, and health-food like sea-cucumber or goji-berries to regular instant pizza, or a frozen variant of the filled Chinese steamed buns called Baozi. That no one goes hungry in the Taobao land of milk and honey is indisputable.

With a little resolve, I found myself a special set lunch – the “president menu” – which comprises six steamed buns filled with pork and scallions paired with mustard-greens and fried pork liver. This is exactly the dish that, according to media reports, China’s president Xi Jinping ordered in December 2013 during a spontaneous drop in at a traditional Beijing dumpling restaurant in the heart of the capital. I found a Taobao shop that offers nationwide delivery of a deep-frozen version of the dish. So Taobao is able to serve a presidential meal for lunch, which clocks up further credit for this platform.

Security is definitely an important factor in ensuring the success of an Internet platform like Taobao. Will what I actually receive fit the product description? Will delivery be on time? Is there someone I can talk to if I have any complaints? And, if I am not satisfied, how do I get my money back?

Trust and credibility play a vital role in the success of online deals, especially in China, with its host of online-vendors selling fake products and shop-owners involved in shady business. This is something that the creators of Taobao were all too aware of when they created the platform. Consequently, the Taobao team established from the word go an online-pay system called Alipay, a trust bank similar to PayPal, which holds all monies until both buyer and seller confirm the successful transaction.

What’s more, to provide an element of security even before closing a deal, Taobao has created a sophisticated valuation system that enables buyer and seller to assess one another through a detailed catalogue of criteria, the results of which are there for all customers to see. They can also see at a glance how long a user has been buying or selling on Taobao.

Not to be forgotten, of course, is the valuation function applicable to every single product. Comments from past customers are also there for anyone strolling through a virtual Taobao shop to see and bear in mind. However, the knightly accolade of every Taobao seller is undoubtedly the comment that the buyer shares, along with a selfie or self-made photo of his “Taobao treasure.” Most of the latter are taken in the buyers’ living room at home, which adds maximum authenticity to the product review.

The “facekini” that swept French fashion circles takes China by storm thanks to “almighty Taobao.”

As regards the “facekini,” my purchase decision was strongly influenced by the many wonderful private selfies taken by the male and female swimmers of all ages from all parts of China wearing the head-and-face swimming-cap. Taobao photo-comments offer valuable insights into the living environment of Taobao users, some of which are unintentionally comical.