Taobao and Ele.me race into China’s instant retail battlefield

Alibaba is rebranding and upgrading its instant delivery service Taobao Hourly Delivery to Taobao Flash Buy (淘宝闪购), according to a report from Chinese outlet LatePost on Tuesday. The new service is rolling out across 50 cities this week and is expected to launch nationwide by May 6.
The move comes as competition heats up in China’s on-demand retail space, spurred by JD.com’s aggressive expansion. In parallel, Alibaba’s food delivery arm Ele.me announced enhanced platform subsidies this morning to support the broader push.
The Flash Buy upgrade focuses on three key areas: Consumer incentives: Taobao Flash Sale and Ele.me will jointly offer over RMB 10 billion ($1.38 billion) in subsidies, including full-discount deals and large-value coupons. Supply-side integration: Ele.me’s full inventory — including food delivery — will now serve Taobao Flash Sale. The service will also partner with major brands to establish instant retail flagship stores, initially targeting 200 national chains. Organizational consolidation: All real-time retail operations under Alibaba’s e-commerce arm will now be unified under Taobao Flash Sale, with Ele.me providing backend support.
The original Taobao Hourly Delivery feature launched widely on the homepage in July 2024, followed by the integration of over 3,000 Apple-authorized retail stores. After a year of testing nearly every product category, Alibaba identified its core strengths in 3C electronics, fashion, FMCG (mother & baby products), flowers and plants, fresh food, pet supplies, and toys. Over 3 million stores have now joined the service. [LatePost, in Chinese, ele.me, in Chinese]