Alibaba’s Taobao to Launch First Metaverse Livestreaming Channel

Taobao, an e-commerce platform owned by Alibaba, is conducting final tests before launching its first metaverse livestreaming product, according to a report by Chinese media outlet DSB on December 26. If it goes well, the project is expected to go online during the upcoming New Year’s shopping festival.

Since the beginning of the year, Taobao has released metaverse-related products many times. During last month’s Double 11 Shopping Festival, Taobao and Diantao, another of Alibaba‘s livestreaming e-commerce apps, jointly built a virtual space named TaoLive City. In this virtual space, there are commercial streets and ad screens. Users can directly enter this brand-new virtual world with a virtual avatar, go shopping, draw prizes and interact with strangers.

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TaoLive City has a cyberpunk style and is composed of eight scenarios, such as commercial streets and a stunning Ferris wheel. Many livestreaming rooms with their own characteristics are distributed around. Brands like Tissot and over 10 Taobao livestreamers have joined the platform.

In addition to TaoLive City, during the Double 11 Shopping Festival this year, Alifish, an online copyright trading services platform launched by Alibaba Pictures, also cooperated with Alibaba‘s DAMO Academy XR Lab to launch a virtual IP scenario driven by VR technology for the first time through Taobao’s “IP New Power” and build an immersive virtual block.

In addition to Alibaba, Baidu AI Cloud also promotes its own solutions in the clothing, home, digital and other industries. NetEase‘s Metaverse Department is promoting similar solutions, and it is expected that NetEase Yaotai, a metaverse app similar to Baidu‘s XiRang, will be launched in the near future. Other leading Chinese companies like Tencent, JD.com, Meituan, Pinduoduo and Kuaishou are also promoting the corresponding business, but they have not yet taken action in terms of products. ByteDance’s Douyin is pouring its strength into PICO VR headsets in order to make a breakthrough.