Core Insights - The e-commerce industry is gearing up for the "Double 11" shopping festival, with Taobao's cross-border business planning to invest 1 billion yuan in marketing subsidies to help 100,000 merchants double their overseas sales [1][3] - This year's "Double 11" will launch simultaneously in 20 countries and regions, featuring five different language versions to cater to global consumers [1][6] - Taobao's cross-border strategy has evolved significantly over the years, transitioning from a small team catering to overseas Chinese shoppers to a comprehensive international growth plan [2][3] Marketing and Logistics Strategy - Taobao will focus on marketing and logistics during the "Double 11" period, with 1 billion yuan allocated for marketing efforts [3] - New users in 16 countries can participate in a "1 yuan purchase" promotion, and multilingual advertisements will be placed in key locations [3][6] - The logistics network will support cross-border free shipping and returns in 12 overseas sites, with specific regions like Hong Kong and Macau offering zero-threshold free shipping [3][4] Business Model and Market Position - Taobao's cross-border model emphasizes a "0 return and refund, 0 operational cost" approach, allowing merchants to easily sell overseas without additional costs [2] - Since the launch of the "Taobao Tmall Overseas Growth Plan" in 2024, over 1 million merchants have joined the initiative [3] - Taobao's target markets primarily include Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, while AliExpress focuses on Europe, indicating a strategic differentiation between the two platforms [6][8] Competitive Landscape - The cross-border e-commerce sector is highly competitive, with various platforms like SHEIN and Temu adopting different business models [8][9] - Taobao's approach is characterized as a platform model, allowing existing Taobao merchants to sell directly on the overseas Taobao app [8] - The global market presents significant opportunities for growth, with Alibaba aiming to break through domestic growth bottlenecks while actively pursuing international expansion [9]