TikTok Shop Expands to France, Germany, and Italy; CHAGEE Files for U.S. IPO After Surging Tea Sales
Latest news and analysis on China’s global e-sellers
Here’s our pick for last week’s news:
TikTok Shop Expands to France, Germany, and Italy
TikTok Shop Targets Top E-commerce Sellers with New Service
TikTok Restructures Amid U.S. Struggles
AliExpress Rolls Out New Advertising Feature to Boost International Traffic
SHEIN Brings Affiliate Program to Australia
Trendyol Focuses on EMEA Growth with New Strategies
MINISO's TOP TOY Targets Global Expansion with 1,000 Stores by 2029
VIVO Eyes 70% Overseas Revenue by 2027
CHAGEE Files for U.S. IPO After Surging Tea Sales
Pop Mart Plans 100% Growth in Overseas Markets This Year
China's Cross-Border E-Commerce Value Soars 10.8% in 2024
TikTok Shop Expands to France, Germany, and Italy
TikTok Shop is now available in France, Germany, and Italy, marking a key step in its European expansion. The platform is partnering with local sellers to diversify its offerings, with major retailers like Carrefour, About You, and Cosnova already on board. Following its December 2024 launch in Spain and Ireland, this expansion strengthens TikTok Shop's presence in Europe, positioning the region as a critical market amid ongoing challenges in the U.S.
TikTok Shop Targets Top E-commerce Sellers with New Service
TikTok Shop has launched a new brand management service targeting top e-commerce sellers from both China and abroad. The program is open to two types of sellers: cross-border merchants from platforms like Amazon, DTC brands, SHEIN, and Temu, as well as leading domestic sellers from Tmall, JD.com, and Douyin, all of whom must meet annual revenue criteria. The service will focus on six key categories—menswear, womenswear, sports & outdoor gear, loungewear, footwear, and bags—sectors with high consumer demand.
TikTok Restructures Amid U.S. Struggles
Blake Chandlee, TikTok's Head of Advertising Sales, will leave the company on April 1, with his division, Global Business Solutions (GBS), merging into the Global Monetization Product Technology (GMPT) team. This move is part of a larger shake-up, with at least eight executives departing in 2025. TikTok's U.S. e-commerce unit missed its 2024 targets, leading to intervention from ByteDance's leadership in China.
Despite heavy investment, returns in the U.S. market have been disappointing, prompting staff cuts following overhiring in 2024. ByteDance still has high hopes for the U.S. market, aiming for a nearly 200% growth in U.S. e-commerce, which is the highest regional target for 2025.
AliExpress Rolls Out New Advertising Feature to Boost International Traffic
AliExpress is launching an enhanced "Off-Site Promotion" feature on April 1, collaborating with leading global media platforms for paid ads to attract high-quality international traffic. Currently available to cross-border POP (self-operated) sellers, the platform will co-invest with merchants, covering at least 60% of the additional subsidy costs. Merchants who join in the first month can access up to 14% additional subsidies during major sales events via in-platform codes.
SHEIN Brings Affiliate Program to Australia
SHEIN has launched its affiliate marketing program in Australia, allowing content creators, influencers, and e-commerce sellers to monetize their influence. Already successful in markets like the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Mexico, the program enables affiliates to earn commissions from sales through unique links. They can also access exclusive promotions, early product launches, seasonal campaigns, and special discount codes, while using advanced analytics to track and optimize their earnings and collaborate with brands on SHEIN marketplace.
Trendyol Focuses on EMEA Growth with New Strategies
Alibaba's Trendyol revealed its expansion strategy at a press conference in Istanbul, aiming to reach 12 million international users by the end of 2025 and strengthen its position in the EMEA region. The company is focusing on accelerating growth in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Romania, where it has 1.5 million active users and has sold over 16 million products. Trendyol's strategy includes enhanced localization, seller support programs, and tech investments to solidify its market leadership.
MINISO's TOP TOY Targets Global Expansion with 1,000 Stores by 2029
On March 22, TOP TOY unveiled its global expansion plan, aiming for over 50% of revenue from overseas sales, a presence in 40+ countries, and product availability in 150+ countries by 2029. Launched by MINISO in 2020, TOP TOY specializes in products like blind boxes, building blocks, and collectible figurines, generating 980 million RMB (135.03 million USD) in 2024, marking a 45% growth and its first profitable year. The company began its global push in late 2024, opening stores in high-end malls in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, with plans for 1,000+ stores in 100 key shopping districts worldwide by 2029.
VIVO Eyes 70% Overseas Revenue by 2027
VIVO's COO, Hu Baishan, revealed that the company's overseas revenue now exceeds 50%, with plans to reach 60% next year and 70% the year after. Since expanding globally in 2014, Southeast Asia has been VIVO's primary market, where it holds 13% of the region's market share, ranking fifth in 2024. India is VIVO's largest overseas market, offering premium products priced above $600. While VIVO has no immediate plans to enter developed markets like the U.S. or Western Europe, Hu suggested the company may consider these markets in 3-5 years with innovative products targeting high-end users.
CHAGEE Files for U.S. IPO After Surging Tea Sales
CHAGEE filed for its IPO with the U.S. SEC on March 26, reporting impressive growth, with GMV surging 734.3% in 2022 and 172.9% in 2023. The company's tea beverage sales exceeded expectations, reaching 29.4 billion RMB (4.05 billion USD) in 2024. CHAGEE leads the premium tea segment, holding over 30% market share, and achieved 12.405 billion RMB (1.71 billion USD) in revenue and 2.515 billion RMB (346.54 million USD) in net profit, with a 20.3% margin. The company operates 6,440 stores worldwide and plans to open 1,000 to 1,500 new locations this year, including its first U.S. store in April.
Pop Mart Plans 100% Growth in Overseas Markets This Year
Pop Mart's annual report, released on March 26, showed a 100% revenue increase, reaching 13.04 billion RMB (1.80 billion USD), surpassing 10 billion RMB (1.38 billion USD) for the first time. The IP series THE MONSTERS, led by LABUBU, generated 3.04 billion RMB (418.88 million USD), a sevenfold increase, surpassing the company's flagship IP, MOLLY. In North America, Pop Mart's revenue grew 5.6 times to 720 million RMB (99.21 billion USD), and Q1 2025 revenue has already surpassed the previous year's total. Chairman Wang Ning expects over 50% growth in 2025, with international markets, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan contributing over 10 billion RMB (1.38 billion USD), aiming for total sales exceeding 20 billion RMB (2.76 billion USD).
China's Cross-Border E-Commerce Value Soars 10.8% in 2024
China's cross-border e-commerce import and export value reached 2.63 trillion RMB (369 billion USD) in 2024, marking a 10.8% YoY increase. Exports totaled 180.7 billion USD, ranking second globally behind the U.S. at 684.5 billion USD. Platforms like Tmall and AliExpress played a key role in driving this growth. In 2024, nearly 4% of Tmall's 498 billion USD GMV came from exports, with Singapore, South Korea, and Japan as key markets. AliExpress saw over 97% of its 61.2 billion USD GMV from overseas. Tmall dominates Southeast Asia while AliExpress leads in the U.S., France, and Spain.