Alibaba’s Taobao Launches Furniture Purchasing App “Homearch”

An app called “Homearch” (屋颜 Wūyán) has been launched on major digital stores in China recently, according to a Monday report by domestic media outlet Tech Planet. This product was developed by Zhejiang Taobao Network Co., Ltd. and is a home brand directly operated by Alibaba that allows users to purchase furniture with the app.

The design of Homearch is similar to Taobao’s previous home and interior design app, “Tangping” (躺平 Tǎngpíng), which was renamed to “Meipingmeiwu (每平每屋 Měipíng měiwū)” and adopts a simple and plain style. It integrates the operation mode of “recommend + e-commerce.” Specifically, through the online recommendation notes of professional buyers, the app can be used as a reference for users to purchase furniture products.

At present, “Homearch” has over 100 third-party brands, factory brands and self-operated brands, together covering home furniture, textiles, kitchenware, ornaments and creative products.

“Homearch” also supports 3D rendering technology to allow users to shop online. Its 6,000-square meter virtual store displays more than 180 spaces showcasing interior design, which can bring users a real life-like experience. In addition, users can purchase directly in the offline stores displayed in the Homearch app.

According to the report, Taobao launched “Homearch” with two main considerations.

Taobao aims to find a new development direction in the field of e-commerce. On the other hand, a mobile app is becoming an important part of the interior design ecosystem that the company is building. Last year, Taobao’s Tmall Decoration Localization Project was officially launched, and it joined hands with six major leading merchants in Chengdu, China’s Sichuan province, to launch the “Reliable Decoration Festival.” Subsequently, Tmall launched “Tmall Good House” to build an information services and digital marketing platform for the real estate industry, including transactions for new houses, second-hand houses and rental businesses. “Homearch” is a part of this ecosystem.

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According to Quanzhou Evening News, the domestic interior design market has reached 4 trillion yuan ($609.3 billion). Major internet giants have been preparing for a long time, competing to enter the market and speeding up their development in this field. Apart from Alibaba‘s Taobao, ByteDance launched an interior design platform called “Zhuxiaobang,” while JD.com announced its strategic investment in Guangzhou Shangpin Home, a household furniture manufacturer.