Micro Taobao announced at noon yesterday that it will unilaterally terminate the distribution of invitation codes starting tomorrow (October 10). Informed sources claim that this move may be related to the merger of Micro Taobao and Ai Tao products.
Micro Taobao stated that the distribution of invitation codes will officially cease at 24:00 on October 10, and any invitation codes issued but not activated before this time will also become invalid. At the same time, Micro Taobao will prepare a final limited edition of 150 Micro Taobao invitations, which will be distributed through an official Weibo event tomorrow.
In response, insiders provided two explanations. One is that Micro Taobao might end its internal testing phase and formally start public testing—however, the abrupt termination seems illogical. Another possibility is that Micro Taobao will merge with Taobao's new community product "Ai Tao," meaning that the previously定向 invited Micro Taobao public accounts and Ai Tao accounts will be fully integrated.
Alibaba Group CEO Jonathan Lu had personally revealed that "Ai Tao and Micro Taobao need to be combined." This statement immediately sparked media speculation.
Recently, there have been rumors that Ai Tao will officially open to all sellers in mid-October. Judging by the timeline, this coincides too closely with Micro Taobao's deadline for closing its internal test invitations.
An industry insider pointed out that the merger of Micro Taobao and Ai Tao would effectively integrate marketing channels from both the PC and mobile ends. This integration could not only fully activate the vitality of existing traffic and ensure precise delivery but also help Alibaba realize its long-pursued SNS ambition, thus forming another major advertising and marketing system beyond the first focus and direct express.
However, according to informed sources, although the merger of Micro Taobao and Ai Tao was mentioned by Jonathan Lu, it is still under consideration within Taobao. "The differences in business types and underlying data between the two businesses may not allow for a quick merger. With 'Singles' Day' approaching, the two businesses may each leverage their own advantages to compete fiercely."