Alibaba Group, China’s e-commerce powerhouse, announced on Monday that its newly launched Taobao Instant Commerce portal has surpassed 40 million daily orders, less than a month after going live. The rapid growth highlights Alibaba’s aggressive push into the booming instant retail market.
What is Taobao Instant Commerce?
Taobao Instant Commerce is Alibaba’s 60-minute delivery platform that integrates local merchants from its food delivery subsidiary, Ele.me, directly into its flagship Taobao app. This innovation enables consumers to order products across various categories, from groceries to electronics, and receive them within an hour.
The platform leverages Alibaba’s massive logistics and local delivery networks, focusing on ultra-fast fulfilment in high-density urban areas.
Instant Retail: The Future of Chinese E-Commerce
The explosive success of Taobao Instant Commerce is part of a broader trend in China known as “instant commerce” or “instant retail,” where e-commerce companies are racing to meet growing consumer demand for ultra-fast delivery. Companies like JD.com, Meituan, and now Alibaba are investing billions of dollars in building infrastructure and partnerships to reduce delivery times and increase customer satisfaction. Alibaba’s integration of Ele.me merchants into Taobao is a strategic move that allows the company to consolidate its e-commerce, food delivery, and local retail operations under one seamless platform.
Why This Matters for Alibaba’s E-Commerce Strategy
With competition intensifying in China’s digital marketplace, Alibaba’s pivot to real-time commerce is seen as a major step toward maintaining its dominance in online retail. The company is adapting to shifting consumer expectations that now prioritise speed, convenience, and local availability. The 40 million daily orders milestone demonstrates strong user adoption and underscores the potential of the instant delivery economy to become a new growth engine for Alibaba.
Alibaba Sets Pace in Instant Retail Boom
As consumer expectations evolve, Alibaba is setting the pace in China’s instant commerce race. With logistics infrastructure, app integration, and merchant networks aligned, Taobao Instant Commerce is poised to redefine how quickly e-commerce can deliver — literally.
