Alibaba's (HKG:9988) Taobao Tmall Hong Kong will provide over 1 billion yuan in subsidies for its free-shipping program during the Double 11 shopping festival, highlighting its latest drive to expand in overseas markets, The Standard reported Wednesday, citing a media briefing.
According to the report, the initiative, launched in August, now covers nearly all lightweight products, up from about one-third earlier.
It has also introduced Octopus and WeChat Pay HK as payment options and rolled out an English-language app version with Hong Kong dollar pricing, the report said.
The Double 11 presale runs from Oct. 15 to 20, with sales continuing until Nov. 14, the news agency said. Alibaba's logistics arm, Cainiao, expects a delivery peak around Nov. 16-17.
(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)