Taobao and Covet: Island of DesireTmall Group have deepened their integration with lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, allowing merchants to insert direct product links from their stores into Xiaohongshu posts. The feature lets users click through from Xiaohongshu content to complete purchases on the Taobao app, streamlining the path from product discovery to checkout. The partnership, first tested in categories such as consumer goods and sports equipment, aims to reduce friction between content engagement and conversion. Merchants also gain access to joint accounts and performance dashboards to track the full customer journey from exposure on Xiaohongshu to transactions on Taobao. Alibaba Group Vice President Liu Bo described the move as part of efforts to improve marketing efficiency in 2025. Taobao and Tmall plan to promote select products featured on Xiaohongshu with targeted advertising support. The two platforms began experimenting with content commerce in 2023. Alibaba says merchants saw a 20% rise in click-through rates on Xiaohongshu content last year. [Alibaba]
