On the online marketplace Taobao, sellers chatting with buyers call them 亲, short for 亲爱的, “dear.” A typical line runs: 亲！包邮哦！记得给好评哦！ “Dear! Free shipping! Remember to leave a good review!”
The manner of speaking became known as 淘宝体, Taobao style, and was listed among the internet buzzwords of 2011. It spread beyond the site. Admission letters from some universities, traffic police safety slogans and a recruitment notice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs used it, and some people objected.