Step By Step Guide To Open Your Tmall Store
What You Need To Know To Open Your Tmall Store
The commerce system with Tmall have encountered absurd amount of changes throughout, from open to all, to close, to specific partners. However, Tmall have slowly begin encouraging brands which fulfills the requirement to openly enlist their brands, while skipping the lines.
Merchandising Category Table 2018
Cross-merchandising Category Table 2018
Phase 1: Application Qualifications
1. Qualification Inquiries
Brand
- If your brand is already within the recruit list of Tmall, your brand is qualified for partnership
- If your brand is not within the recruit list of Tmall, brand may apply for partnership with the brand potential displayed, and Tmall will undergo evaluation for your brand to proceed with your qualifications
- If your merchandises are under the special category, there will be no requirements from your brand:
- Merchandise Categories: Travel, Internet Games, Instruments, Digital Certifications
- First-tier categories: Furniture, Installation services, Flower delivery services, Artificial flowers, Gardening services
- First-tier categories: Meat, Cooked Meat, Fresh vegetables
Companies:
- Only legally registered companies accepted, excluding individual industrial and commercial households
- Company may have more than one Tmall store, but products in all store cannot be repeated, and each category may only have one store
- Must obtained trademark registered certification or trademark acceptance notice for brands (except for some category of imported goods), pure graphic trademark is not accepted for application
- Provide all required documents (See below for all details)
For more information, please see “Tmall Store Requirements 2018”
2. Prepare necessity
Assessments will vary for different company. Requirements for company registered capital, time of establishment, and documents will be based on the following three factors:
- Store category
- Merchandising category
- Imported products
All documents prepared should have registered company stamp
Have all required fees prepared; Tmall Merchandising Fees are divided by three parts:
- Security deposit: merchant must pay security deposit before opening of the Tmall store. Deposit will vary from 10,000 to 300,000 based on the merchandising category and brand
- Annual software fees: Based on the varying first-tier category and cross-category merchant, the annual software fees
- Software fees: merchant at Tmall must follow the standard percentage of software service fees based on the sales dependent on the category type
3. Submit Documents
After reviewing the application process, click “Register now”
Step 1: Submit documents
Select the store type/brand/category
- Select the store type cased on the accurate information for your store, fill out brand trademark id; if you are brand id has been previous registered by Tmall, you may directly select the according brand
Tips:
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If your business is not merchandising visual and audio related category, please select all category; If your business is merchandising related items, select “Visual and Audio library”
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If you are applying for a authorized franchise, please have a minimum of two brands
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If you trademark have not been registered by Tmall, you may need to fill out further information about your brand. Click here for more details
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When applying for merchandising category, click “Select category” and find the one for your store, and click “Confirm”
Tips:
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One brand can only select one category, any changes will override all previous work, proceed with caution. If you are unable to find the category, it signifies that Tmall is currently not recruiting brands under that category. If a brand requires cross-category merchandising, your store may apply AFTER establishment according to the business implementation standard. Click here to see Tmall cross-category merchandising table
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Please confirm that all requirement is met, if unmet, your application may be rejected after submission
Tips:
If your brand is not within the recruitment list for Tmall, Tmall will first need to evaluate brand equity and qualifications review, which is most likely to take an extended time.
Step 2: Fill out brand information
- Please fill out all brand information accurately.
- Pay attention to the selection tabs on the left, every selection tab must be filled out Any tabs unfilled will not allowed to proceed with the next step, and a “to be completed” will appear until you have selected, into “completed” after you are done
- After completing each tab, please click “Save brand information”
- When completed, please click “Next step”
Tips:
If your brand requires a brand evaluation, please click “Upload more information” on the registration page. A brand evaluation will consider brand influence, Tmall product types, and market demands. Follow the instructions and download the spreadsheet. Fill out all information required on the spreadsheet and upload onto the registration website, this information will allow Tmall to better understanding your brand to assist you in opening your store as soon as possible
Tips:
When submitting Alipay authorization letter, you need to first download the form and fill out all information with an official signature/stamp. When completed, upload onto registration site.
Step 4: Store name
When selecting an name for your Tmall store, please drag down the option next to “Select store name” to select store category and store name, or you may fill out your preferred store name under “Store name suggestion”. After completion, click “Next step”
Tips:
The name selected for your Tmall store must meet the requirements for “Tmall Store Name Standards”. For more detail, please click here to see
Step 5: Submit for evaluation
Please confirm all information is all accurate or require any changes, you may click “Go back” and select the page for changes. When you are done, please click “Confirm and submit” to submit information to Tmall
Tips: Once all information have been submitted, there will be no changes allowed. Please allot time evaluation results.
Phase 2: Evaluation
After submission, please patiently await for evaluation, click here to read more.
Tips:
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During evaluation period, please keep all contact information available working, such as cellphone, email, Aliwangwang for Tmall to contact you conveniently
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If there are any changes to contact information, please click “Change” next to contact information and re-complete it.
1. Brand assessment
As mentioned in Phase 1, if the brand is not within the recruiting list of Tmall, Tmall will assessed your Company and brand equity based on the following aspects:
- Brand positioning: style, target audience, unit price
- Brand equity: time since establishment, offline sales (locations, transactions of the past year, imported), online platform sales performance
- Brand specialty: Designer brand, specialty service
- Company equity: factory, recognitions, operating plans and other information
2. Assessment Process:
- If your registering brand is not within the recruiting list of Tmall, your registering brand must first pass the brand evaluation. During the evaluation, you must re-submit any information that does not meet the standard. System will notify by email or text message to login on registeration website to correct any information. When you have logged into your account, click “Correct application” and follow instructions to correct any information required.
- If registering brand have not been qualified after evaluation, you may register another brand for submission
- If your registering brand have passed the evaluation, you can click “Start quality assessment” to begin quality assessment
Tips:
Please correct and submit any required information within 15 days, expired submission will be disqualified.
Tips:
When you see “Start quality assessment” button, it is recommended to click “Continue” to continue application process, if not your registration is withheld.
3. Quality assessment (First assessment, re-assessment)
Assessment content:
- Qualification is accurate and effective
- Brand have met the standard
- Authorization and link completed
- Manufacturing, business scope, product qualification meet government requirements and standards.
Assessment process:
- Assessment is divided by first assessment and re-assessment, if any information does not meet the requirement, system will notify by email or text message to login on registration website to correct any information. When you have logged into your account, click “Correct application” and follow instructions to correct any information required.
Tips:
Please correct and submit any required information within 15 days, expired submission will be disqualified.
- During the quality assessment period, you may see the assessment progress and estimated completion time
- Once you registering brand have passed the assessment and re-assessment, congratulation, you may now complete store information, publicize products and go online with your store!
Phase 3: Preparation for store opening
Activate business account and login
Set up password, contact information, email, Alipay account, and click “Activate” to activate your account
Tips:
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Ensure the Alipay account entered for your store is accurate, as any transaction will be made within this account
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Do not link the Alipay account for Tmall to be linked with any Taobao account
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Do not use Alipay mailbox as any Taobao account login email. Ensure Alipay account for your company is matched with information in your submission
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Complete any store opening actions and tasks
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After activating account, login with your business id. Complete any required tasks before store opening, you may click “Go to tasks” to be directed to a page with all actions related, after completion you may click “Refresh progress” to see progression
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If this task is completed, task will appear as “Completed”
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Security deposit/Annual fees
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After signing the agreement, you may click “Link and pay now” to ensure all required fees are paid.
Tips:
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Ensure there is enough balance on your Alipay account
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Ensure all required fees are paid within 15 days, if uncompleted in 15 day, application will be disqualified
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Products will only be released after 24 hours of payment for security deposit and annual fees
Phase 4: Store customizations
1. Adding products
After 24 hours of payment for security deposit and annual fee, you may add product and customization of the store. Based on the category of merchandises, there is a limited amount for products. After completion, you may click “Open Store Now”
Tips:
Store opening
Congratulation, your Tmall store is officially online, you may go to merchant centre for detailed actions.