BEIJING: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is joining hands with Japanese cartoon character Doraemon to offer consumers “miraculous gadgets from the 22nd Century”.
At a press conference on Monday, the robotic cat, with thousands of cutting-edge tools in its small pocket, became the mascot of Taobao, the largest online shopping platform run by Alibaba.
The two sides will set up an online store, from which consumers can purchase gadgets featured in the story of the Doraemon manga series such as the “bamboo-copter”, a small head accessory that allows flight in future.
As the first step in the partnership, Taobao launched four tools. One of them is a software that enables users to hunt for bargain online simply by shaking their smartphone from top to down, like chopping a beef. Users can buy the Doraemon T-shirt, worth 999 yuan, at 1 yuan by shaking their smartphone.
The software also encourages friends to wave smartphones together by promising even lower prices.
Other tools include a technology that allows users to see themselves wearing cosmetics on the smartphone before purchasing an eyelash grower or concealer. And the platform also encourages users to share the links of items by placing mobile phones together.
All the software is available on the newly updated Doraemon-version of Taobao mobile app, the company said.
Apart from offering such services, the e-commerce giant also bought the copyright of the robotic cat and allows sellers on its platform to develop more Doraemon-related products.
Doraemon is the most popular cartoon character on Taobao. The company said it has been on top of the sales list for a long time, with the plush doll and T-shirt being the most favored items among those born in the 80s and 90s.
