How to Shop With Taobao App – A Guide for English Speakers

Even though new applications and web-based shopping locales do not offer Taobao as the main instrument for purchases, it is one of the most popular online purchases. 

This tutorial is for you if you want to enter the world of online shopping, but the language obstruction impedes your entrance.

This article isn’t intended to be a comprehensive guide to using Taobao, but instead rules for involving it on a cell phone for the unfamiliar client living in China who is still learning Chinese.

Wondering About Taobao? 

First, we should define Taobao as a Chinese internet shopping site controlled by Alibaba Group.

Taobao is a platform similar to eBay, where sellers and buyers meet. On Taobao, you can discover online stores where you can buy all kinds of items since Taobao genuinely has no bounds.

Consider what you want, type it into the search engine, and wait a few seconds for the required results. Since whatever doesn’t exist on Taobao is a genuinely unique product, it’s unusual not to see it as a looked-for item.

How to Install the application

 The first hurdle to overcome is downloading and installing the app on your phone or tablet. But you need not worry; we have got you covered.

Type in the name of Taobao and search for it on one of the app shops (for example, Google Play).

The full name of the mobile phone application is “手机淘宝,” or “Taobao for cell phones,” and it is identifiable by an orange symbol with the letter “淘” written in white within.

Registering

Choose the icon after you’ve downloaded the app. To continue using the application, you will be required to accept a few permissions.

The official website is the first page you’ll view, and it’s here that you may begin looking for your favorite things.

To register, go to the personal area and click the last button on the lower right, “我的淘宝” (“My Taobao”), which is signified by a little cartoon character. By selecting the header “新用户注册,” (“new user registration”), you may proceed to the registration process.

The first heading you see on the page will prompt you to input your country’s name “国家地区,” which should match the prefix of your phone number. If you’re using a Chinese sim, you’ll need 中国大陆 to犀利士 dial (+86), China.

Enter your phone number in the second section, “手机号.” Following that, by hitting the orange button “同意协议并注册,” you agree to Taobao’s terms of service and registration. Get yourself an excellent translator if you want to read it, which you should.

You’ll receive a text message at the phone you provided with a verification code that must be entered within a minute. Do that and select the single heading “下一步” next step” from the drop-down menu.

You’ll have to enter a new password of 6-20 alphanumeric characters next to the heading (“登录密码”) register password”, while next to the header “会员名” you may pick your user name, which will be displayed on the platform. Avoid inputting confidential information here, as Taobao advises in its note. Confirming “定” is an excellent way to go.

Adding an address

The most challenging aspects of utilizing Taobao are creating an account and adding an address. So, if you’ve made it this far, you’ve already accomplished a lot!

The orthodox icon of a person’s face can be seen in the lower right corner of the Taobao home page; remember that this is the platform’s area, which contains your user name and personal information.

Adding an address is necessary for purchasing things and getting them later, so be sure it’s correct.

So, on the following page, press the characters in the top left “设置” (“settings”), and on the next page, press the small cartoon guy symbol. “(“receiving address”) is the first heading that displays on the white screen is “我的收货地址,” and you may add a position by clicking “添加新地址” (“add new address”) in the orange box.

收货人

The recipient: this is where you’ll put the person’s identity who will receive the products you’ve bought. If you’re using your account, you’ll need to enter your real name.

联系电话

Contact by phone. Enter the phone number you’d like to be reached at in case of package delivery or any other emergency.

所在地区

You’ll need to input the area first, followed by the city and district you’re in.

Remember that everything in this area and the two that follow must be Chinese characters. If you can’t accomplish it yourself, you’ll have to hire someone to help you. In any case, you’ll only need to input this information the first time you use it. That information will be stored later.

街道

Enter the zone, or residential district, where you want to live.

详细地址

Finally, type in a complete address that includes all of your information.

How to Choose Products

You may start purchasing now that your account is ready! To begin, you’ll need to figure out what you want and what you want to acquire. How do you go about doing that?

Searching homepage

Searching on the main page will be ineffective if you have a specific item in mind that you’d want to purchase. Instead, you may look at broad trends and things comparable to recent searches from this page.

You may then go around the website, looking for items you like, and clicking on them will take you directly to the store’s page.

How to Searhc for keywords

Have your buddies shown you something you can’t live without but aren’t sure what it’s called? Don’t worry; you can simply capture it and submit it to the Taobao search engine.

Even so, there’s a camera symbol in the search bar at the top of the initial screen. By selecting the icon on the left with the image of a photo gallery, you may select to take a picture at that time or choose from an album on your phone.

Move on after taking or selecting a photo! You’ll begin a search to have the results match the image you submitted as closely as possible.

Searching for a shared link

Here’s how to find what you’re looking for on Taobao.

Open Taobao using the link that was sent to you. When the program detects that you’ve previously copied a Taobao link, a box will display asking if you want to see the page from the copied link.

If you want to view anything straight away, select the right-hand option “立即查看” (“see right away”); or else, disregard it by choosing the right-hand button.

Customer Feedback & reviews

You won’t be able to see the reviews posted by people who have purchased the product you’re looking at before you if you’re reading this tutorial, but there are a few recommendations that may help you determine the product’s quality.

Scroll to the bottom of the page of the article you’re interested in until you discover the review section, “宝贝评价”. You can check how many reviews the product has previously received in this section.

Characters you could encounter in this sort of review include:

好, 不错, 一般, 不好

These are the terms that are commonly connected with the quality or type of service and relate to “good,” (好), “not terrible,” (不错), “normal”/”so-so,(一般)” and “no nice” ( (不好).).

服务, 质量, 味道

These are terms that can be linked to the preceding qualitative adjectives: “service” (服务), “quality” (质量), and “flavor” (味道).

Consider the following example: the heading “宝贝评价” (2560) indicates that the product has got a total of 2560 reviews. If you see the words “质量好” (2015) directly below, it signifies that 2015 reviews indicate excellent quality.

发货

Usually, the delivery speed is evaluated (发货), which might range from “快”, “rapid” to “慢”, “slow.”

These are only a few instances of terms that may be found in reviews; each product will have its own set of words.

After reading the essential reviews for the product, pick the header “查看全部评价” (“see all reviews”) to access all total reviews, including ratings and images. Viewing user photos may help assess whether or not the product fits your expectations.

How to Contact Seller

A white cloud with two eyes and a blue border will appear as a fixed icon at the bottom left of the screen after you’ve accessed the product page. It will initiate a direct conversation with the supplier once you press it, and it will display the product you wish to discuss. You may write or even send photographs or videos from here.

The merchant will almost always be unable to interact with you in English, although they may have the patience to try or perhaps hire a translator. You’ll have to find a means to converse in Chinese if you don’t.

This conversation section with the store can be beneficial during the purchase process and for any subsequent returns or exchanges.

Buying

It’s now time to buy and pay after selecting the product from its page. And it’s never been easier to spend money!

Adding to your shopping cart

What if you like something and are considering purchasing it, but are hesitant to do so right away? Or do you like to keep shopping and only make one payment? Like any other shopping app, Taobao allows you to add items to a basket and decide afterward what to do with them.

To add a product to your basket, select “加入购物车” (“add to cart”) from the orange heading in the fixed bar on the product page. In some situations, the product will be added to your basket, while in others, you will be prompted to select the product’s type, color, size, and other features.

While some retailers vary the picture based on your pick so you can see exactly which model corresponds to your selection, others display one image for the numerous options available. Proceed to the translation with a dictionary in hand in this case.

After you’ve made your decision, click the red “确定” button at the bottom of the page to confirm it. The products have been added to your shopping box..

Payment Process

You can skip the stage of adding items to your cart and go straight to checkout to purchase a product (or do so from your basket by clicking on the equivalent icon and following the steps to follow). To do so

1-go to the product page 

2- select the option “in the fixed bar at the end of the screen.

3- pick the sort of product you wish to buy 

4- hit the “button to confirm. 

It will take you to a webpage with your address just in front and the product just below.

If the price is too high then you thought, it’s possible that delivery costs were included ((快递). This pricing will be shown on the official site if it is given. If a shipment is free, the header “快递: 0,00” or “快递免邮” will appear instead.

If there are no errors at this stage, you can submit your order online by clicking “提交订单”.

To begin shopping for things, you’ll need to pick a payment method, and that’s what we’ll do next.

Zhifubao is Taobao’s suggested payment app (a payment platform also afloat by Alibaba). Note this is Taobao instruction; if you want to utilize Zhifubao, you need to hunt for an excellent guide.

In any situation, you’ll need to link a credit or debit card to one’s account before proceeding to payment.

If you’ve connected your Taobao and Zhifubao accounts, a page showing the cost will display, from which you may select the heading below “添加银行卡付款” to confirm payment.

After that, type in the six-digit password you used to create your Zhifubao account. Your goods have now been paid for and have been processed by the shop to be shipped to the location you specified when choosing the delivery address, without the need for any further confirmation.

By selecting this, you are sent to a screen where you may input your credit card number, “卡号,” and then your personal information before proceeding to payment.

I propose signing in to Zhifubao using your accounts in the sections “我的淘宝,” “my Taobao” (lower right corner of the home screen, small man symbol), “设置,” “settings” (top left), “账户与安全,” “account and security,” “我的支付宝,” my Zhifubao.

You may register one or even more methods for purchase on Taobao from this, in the category “银行卡”, “bank card.” If you select this option, you will be led to the Zhifubao app for download.

I recommend looking for a specific guide or seeking guidance from experts experienced with Zhifubao for further details.

This step only has to be performed once, and it will allow you to utilize Taobao using saved information from Zhifubao instead of needing to enter it each time.

What to Do After Purchase?

You must wait for delivery after purchasing a product.

Kuaidi movements

Choose the tiny vehicle from the five indicators above your area through the individual icon at the right corner of the first page.

You may view the items on their way here (if you don’t see yours, it indicates it hasn’t been delivered yet). Select “查看物流” to show the direction your package is in and the city where it will be located.

This part isn’t instrumental if you don’t recognize the areas, but it might be if you notice your shipment is late and want to know why you haven’t gotten a notification of delivery if it has reached your state or what happened to it.

Receiving kuaidi

The address you provided will determine how your kuaidi is delivered.

Suppose you live at a higher education institution. In that case, your shipment will most likely be delivered to the shipping company’s office (or “kuaidi”, “快递”) chosen by the store.”) that the merchant has chosen.

In general, after your box is delivered, the kuaidi offices will phone or text you to let you know which office near the campus you can pick it up from, as well as the package’s number.

Because all students understand where to get their kuaidi, locating the offices will be easy. Give them your phone number, and they’ll bring the package to you.

If you provide your apartment or workplace number instead, the kuaidi may be delivered or a pick-up location, depending on the location.

You’ll be notified (which is why the information you gave must be valid), or you may check its whereabouts on Taobao’s shipment page (small truck symbol).

Taobao’s advantages and disadvantages

Purchasing items online becomes extremely easy, quick (usually within 3 days), and simple once you’ve entered your information.

Taobao is a terrific choice for people who don’t have the time or ability to go shopping. You can acquire anything you need from the convenience of your phone, including clothes, food, and home cleaning goods, presents, and knick-knacks, and the more you have, the more of it!

However, now that we can buy items from home, lethargy sets in, and we come up with new excuses not to go out, and we end up spending more time ever in the kitchen, restricting our human interaction.

With only one click, it’s also relatively easy to spend recklessly! So set limitations for yourself if you don’t want to get suffocated by items and end up with nothing!

Moreover, because you can’t see or handle the things after buying them, you can be in for a massive surprise when they arrive: a more significant cut than anticipated or worse quality than claimed.

However, you may get more information about different materials used by going to the product’s website and scrolling through the pictures until you reach the last image.

Can I use Taobao in English?

One of the most significant issues using Taobao is the language barrier for us foreigners. The famous Chinese e-commerce website has an entirely Chinese interface, which is inconvenient for individuals who don’t speak or comprehend the language.

Even though you may choose which variety of Taobao you are using (for the rest of the globe, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada), the language remains the same.

As a result, English (or another language apart from Chinese) is not an option.

So, how can I overcome the language barrier?

The solution is more straightforward than you would think: use an auto browser converter to translate the site you’re interested in.

As you may be aware, every browser can translate anything on a web page into various languages. English is, without a doubt, the preferred language.

Google Chrome Translator

If you use Chrome, all you must do is right-click on any spot at the bottom of the web page and select “Translate into…” from the menu bar. 

However, an instant pop-up will enquire you if you want to translate the page, but only if you’ve selected the option “Allow translation of webpage for languages you don’t know” under Settings>Advanced>Languages>Language).

If the translating language is not usually English in your settings, go on to the pop-up at the upper right of the URL bar, click the three vertical dots symbol, and then pick English ( whatever language you prefer).

The original Chinese webpage will be translated into your chosen language in a single glance.

Translator for Mozilla Firefox

If you are using Mozilla Firefox, you won’t have the same capability as Chrome, and you’ll have to download and install the extension. That extension in question is named “Translate Web Pages,” It will display as an icon in Mozilla Firefox’s toolbar once installed. To translate Taobao’s Chinese pages, go to “Translate” and click on the symbol (similar to the one on Google Translate).

To make English the default translation, go to the icon and choose “Options,” “Change language,” English, and “Translate.” The translations will be automated and fast in this case as well.

Translator for Safari

If you want to use Safari for MAC, you have to go to the URL bar’s translation icon and select the desired language. In reality, if Safari can transform a given page/language, this indicator will display. The translation is also instantaneous in this situation and may威而鋼 be readily changed to the chosen language.

Please note that it is an automated internet translator, not a human-made translation. Although the end product isn’t perfect, it’s more than enough to grasp what those unusual yet interesting Chinese characters are saying.