On March 8, 2024, Tmall Automotive convened the 2024 New Energy Merchants Conference at the Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center. "New energy has emerged as the primary growth engine in the automotive sector," remarked Jin Chan, General Manager of Tmall Automotive, during the event.
In front of us, there's a vast array of online products, backed by stable offline services. With continuous improvement in customer service, Tmall Auto has become the top choice for many electric vehicle owners to meet their consumption needs. The platform has long been preparing for the layout in the new energy vehicle sector. Tmall Auto has built up rich profiles of vehicle owners and launched a Taobao operating space exclusively for car owners called "My Beloved Car." Today, Tmall Auto has amassed a staggering 10 million registered owners of new energy vehicles.
In the past couple of years, the landscape of new energy vehicles has transformed from sparse to ubiquitous. According to the "2024 China New Energy Vehicle Brand Influence Report," the Chinese market for new energy vehicles reached 11 trillion CNY in 2023, a 65% year-on-year increase, with expectations to reach 23 trillion CNY by 2025. The shift in industry dynamics will further iterate the consumer market.
Consumers are the ultimate barometer of consumption trends. Tmall Auto benefits from the support of a billion-strong user base from Tmall and Taobao, giving it a natural advantage and high sensitivity to market changes.
Looking at transaction volume rankings, traditional car owners tend to prefer buying floor mats, seat covers, dash cams, and key pouches, while new energy vehicle owners are more inclined to purchase charging stations, in-car organizers, and paint protection films. Further refining user profiles reveals different shopping preferences among new energy vehicle owners of different ages, vehicle models, and regions.
To address this, Tmall Auto will assist merchants in supplementing supply based on the trends in new energy vehicle owners' demands, curating assortments around new energy vehicles, and facilitating cross-store, one-stop platform shopping. With diverse product resources, stores will become traffic windows for mutual redirection.
In addition to helping merchants target new energy vehicle users with products, Tmall's platform offers a rich array of content marketing strategies, serving as a bridge for merchants to reach consumers. Taking support from live short videos as an example, monthly short video recruitments offer incentives with millions of views. Moreover, Tmall Auto has introduced live streaming incentives specifically for new energy vehicle merchants.
Tmall's long-term cultivation of automotive brand stores is also gradually shifting towards new energy. The automotive product brand Jinlimai officially joined Tmall in 2012, and now, after 12 years, its turnover has risen from less than 1 million to 50 million CNY. Ideal, a new energy vehicle brand, has become the core service target for the store. "In 2024, our goal is to establish five live broadcast rooms and upload 1000 short videos," said a representative of the brand at the event.
Besides online presence, Tmall Auto has also established a strong offline presence. As of December 2023, Tmall Car Care has opened 2000 offline stores. In terms of store layout, efforts are underway to gradually enhance the stores' capabilities in new energy vehicle modification, maintenance, refurbishment, and more. Just last December, Tmall Car Care entered into a strategic partnership with Blue Electric, the leading chain brand in new energy vehicle after-sales service. According to the plan, Tmall Car Care and Blue Electric aim to open at least 300 stores in the next three years.
Cars are no longer just for transportation; they've become like a "mobile home" for consumers. They seek more than just getting from point A to B. They want to create a travel atmosphere, enhance their in-car experience, and solve issues like vehicle damage. In the future, Tmall Auto will focus on diverse needs, aiming to create the shortest path for businesses to reach new energy vehicle users.
