Taobao launches new ranking system to better promote young creative entrepreneurs

Anyone who loves to partake in online shopping will be more than familiar with Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao. One can find almost anything they need there, from clothes, to makeup, to even treats for their pets and of course, cosplays.

This year, in conjunction with the fifth Taobao Maker Festival (TMF) which is held to celebrate some of the best merchants the shop has to offer, the platform will be launching a new rating system that serves to better promote young creators and small businesses on the platform by giving them "greater market exposure by spotlighting their creativity and making their products more accessible to over 840 million China retail marketplaces users."

Through the new rating system, brands will be able to receive year-long exposure and marketing resources if they are awarded with a high tier rating.

According to Taobao, an independent panel of judges composed of industry experts will be tasked with reviewing and rating the TMF merchants that have been participating over the past five years. Rated merchants will then have their products featured on the "Good Find" section on Taobao which will help to significantly boost their visibility to customers.

The new rating system promotes and celebrates originality and creativity. It will enable merchants to leverage their participation in the Taobao Maker Festival into a source of year-round benefit for growing their business and customers," said Chris Tung, Chief Marketing Officer of Alibaba Group. "This is an initiative driven by our longstanding goal of helping small businesses and young makers to achieve their dreams and find success."

The new rating system is just one of the many tools Taobao has implemented over the years to both promote its various merchants and make the shopping experience a fun one for customers. Other tools they have introduced include Taobao Live, social media platform Weitao, short-form video, microblogs, and the curated recommendation channel "Good Find."

Furthermore, this year's TMF will take place over the course of four days starting from 10 August and will be an online exhibition that takes place in Taobao Life, a virtual 3D avatar-based world, where users will be able to visit six-themed online pavilion using their own customised avatars.

This article was first published in Geek Culture.