| The main focus of this article is to examine the overall development of e-commerce with a focus on the industry giant, Taobao. Online shopping has advanced with the improvement of technologies, people’s preference behaviors, and social trends. As China’s economy developed, the disparities between the rich and the poor also increased. A program called Taobao Villages (TBVs) was initiated by the Alibaba Group in 2009, aiming at rural areas in China. Its goal is to stimulate economic development by empowering rural citizens to sell their products via Taobao, utilizing e-commerce, technologies, and regional features in the process. The scale increased from 3 in 2009 to 5425 in 2020, significantly improving the economy of many villages. During the past decade, a new trend has also seen significant growth, live streaming, which has also grew popularity and importance in e-commerce, especially since 2020. |
