Taobao stated on August 12 shutting down QR code access within one month. Alibaba said this was to prevent possible advertising and even fraud from some sellers, who used QR code to avoid normal transaction procedures on Taobao.
About 10 days ago, Taobao just shut down the interface between its platforms and Tecent’s Wechat (or Weixin known in China). This is Alibaba’s new move towards Tencent’s Wechat 5.0, which added payment solution into its new version. Banks can bundle their accounts on Wechat platform. The powerful scanner on Wechat allows users to scan product information, buy and pay for it. Alibaba is afraid that Wechat might grow to be its strong competitor in e-commerce.
According to Taobao announcement, since August 9, the newly issued QR code pictures would not work. As for existed QR code pictures, Taobao gave them one month to make adjustment. In that month, Taobao will only freeze these pictures but not delete or deduct points. If sellers issue new QR code after September 10, Taobao will regard it as spam.