Alibaba Group launched Taobao, its major Chinese consumer marketplace, in 2003. The service was created as Alibaba expanded beyond its original business-to-business focus.
Taobao developed as a consumer-to-consumer marketplace where individuals and small businesses could list goods. Its growth helped establish online shopping as a major retail channel in China, and the platform later added features such as merchant tools, ratings, payments, and live commerce.
Taobao is distinct from Tmall, which Alibaba introduced for brands and larger retailers. The two names are often used together because both are part of Alibaba’s China commerce ecosystem, but their seller models are different. Taobao’s launch also came before Alibaba’s 2005 investment relationship with Yahoo.