This document provides guidance for international brands looking to set up an online store on Tmall without having a registered business in China. It outlines two options for starting a Tmall store: licensing a brand to an e-commerce team or opening a store directly with help on design, marketing and customer service. It also discusses qualifications, costs, the setup process and answers frequently asked questions about payment processing and marketing options on Tmall.

1. Taobao/Tmall Guide for
International Brands
Dec 2013
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2. CONTENT LEVEL: Introductory
China Internet Watch
This
guide
is
for
companies
who
want
to
set
up
an
online
store
on
Tmall
without
having
a
registered
business
in
China.
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2007-­‐2014
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3. INTRODUCTION
• Tmall, formerly Taobao Mall, the largest
B2C platform for online retailers in
China
• Two ways to start a Tmall store
1. License your brand to an e-commerce/
Tmall operation team like Incitez China
2. Open directly on Tmall getting help on
store design, marketing and customer
service
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4. Content
•
•
•
•
•
Qualifications and requirement
Costing
Taobao/Tmall Set-up
Q&A
Contact
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5. Are you qualified? What requirement should you know?
QUALIFICATIONS
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6. Qualifications for International Brands
1. You are a registered company
outside China
2. You are a certified retail / trading
company
3. The product(s) is your own brand or
licensed, with purchase invoice
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7. Preferred Tmall Retailers
• Retailers who are in operation for over 2
years with over USD 20 million annual
return
• Large and well known B2C websites
• Brand owners or agents with licensed
brands
• Preferred categories: babies and kids,
healthcare products, apparels and
clothing, shoes and bags
• International well known brands
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8. Requirements for Products
• All products must join Tmall’s genuine product protection
agreement; products produced or being sold overseas
should be delivered by international logistics company
via proper custom channels
• Product pages on Tmall should be in Chinese, with
international metric measurements
• Aliwangwang should be used for online customer service
• Products should be shipped within 72 hours once buyers
complete the transaction via individual package or
China free trade zone providing package tracking
information
• Products return location must be arranged within
mainland China
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9. Costs you should be aware of setting up Tmall store
COSTING
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10. Set-up Cost
Store
design
USD
1K-­‐3K
Deposit
USD
25K
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Annual
fee
of
USD
5K/10K

11. Ongoing Cost
Tmall
Technical service
charge
5% or 6% of online
sales
Tmall marketing
cost
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Agency
services
Other
Marketing service
fee
Analytics software
Conversion
optimization
CRM cost
Outsourced online
customer service
External marketing
costs such as PPC
New product
update
Packaging and
delivery cost

12. Contact Incitez China
for a detailed cost estimation:
http://ciw.me/1cc5vBz
Scan the QR Code or access
the URL above.
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13. TMALL SET-UP
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14. Tmall Online Store Setup
Submit
required
info
(10
days)
Register
Alipay
account
(7-­‐10
days)
Sign
agreement
and
pay
deposit
and
annual
fee
(7-­‐10
days)
Register
Tmall
account
and
upload
company
and
product
info
Launch
online
store
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15. Tmall Online Store Setup
1. Submit company and products information form
and wait for about 10 working days for verification
2. Register Alipay oversea account (Taiwan,
Hongkong, Macau, Janpan, South Korea,
Singapore and Malaysia could apply online)
–
Offline application takes about 7-10 working days
3. Sign the agreement with Tmall and pay
security deposit and service fee. (7-10
working days)
4. Register Tmall platform international account, fill in
company information and upload products info
5. Launch online store
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16. Q&A
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17. Q&A
• Q: How does international companies
receive the payment from China internet
customers?
• A: When the buyer has completed the
payment, the amount will be allocated
to a partner settlement bank for currency
exchange, and then the payment
amount will be remitted into the seller's
international bank account once the
agreed settlement amount or settlement
time is met.
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18. Q&A
• Q: What are the marketing options
• A: It depends on the products,
business/brand strategy and online
marketing strategy. Generally,
keywords marketing (similar to Google
Pay-Per-Click inside Taobao/Tmall) and
display advertising, affiliate programs
are available.
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19. Need more info?
Contact Incitez China
for a detailed cost estimation:
http://ciw.me/1cc5vBz
Scan the QR Code or access
the URL above.
CIW
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©
2007-­‐2014
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rights
reserved