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🧠 Big Story:
TikTok Shop Taking Over US🔥

📊 Key Data:
How to look critically at data? Tale of Spain e-commerce 🔍

📖 Ecommerce players news:
🇬🇧 Amazon to launch drone deliveries in Darlington, UK
🇩🇪 Amazon enters eyewear market with Optics launch in Germany
🇹🇭 TikTok Shop doubles Easy E-Receipt sign-ups in Thailand
🇺🇸 Amazon cuts dozens in comms & sustainability.
🇨🇦 Walmart Canada invests $4.5B to expand operations
🇩🇪 Germany demands EU crackdown on dark patterns

+ over 15 other handpicked hot news from the last week you need to know 🔥

Last week, we promised you a deep dive into the most controversial e-commerce giant on the planet. SHEIN is eating fast fashion alive, rewriting supply chain rules, and redefining what “made in China” means. This week, we deliver.
🌀Shein: Real-time
Fast Fashion Rise ⏱

A deep dive into Social Commerce—the biggest shift in online shopping since the birth of Amazon Prime.

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Initial coverage:
1. Company reports:
🌀AliExpress: Learning, Adapting & Expanding🌟
🌀TikTok Shop: Dark Horse of Social Commerce🐎
🌀Temu: Storm Shaking Up Global Ecommerce🌪️
🌀Temu: Unveiling Offer & Price Architecture 💵

2. Trends:
🌀Asia Winning Ecommerce Game🥊
🌀Marketplaces on the Rise🚀

3. Markets:
🌀How War Shaped E-commerce in Ukraine?⚔️

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US TikTok Shop GMV surged to $9B in 2024, surpassing Indonesia. Singapore also saw 4x growth, while Spain's TikTok Shop could reach 10M users by 2025, reshaping e-commerce.

TikTok Shop's global GMV skyrocketed to $32.6B in 2024. The U.S. grew 6.5x YoY to $9B, surpassing Indonesia as the largest market. Singapore saw a 4x GMV jump. This rapid growth is fueled by TikTok’s social commerce model, which blends entertainment and shopping seamlessly.

With 398K stores and 11M influencers, TikTok Shop has built a strong ecosystem in the U.S. The average GMV per store is $22.6K, much higher than Indonesia’s $14.3K. Video content is driving sales, contributing 58% of GMV, while live commerce makes up 10%.

Influencers are the engine behind TikTok Shop, generating $5.4B in GMV. They produced 17M product videos, accounting for nearly 90% of content. The top live shopping session alone hit $2.1M in GMV, signaling a shift in how consumers shop online.

Spain’s TikTok Shop launched in Dec 2023 and already 10% of beauty shoppers have purchased on the platform. If trends mirror the U.S., Spain could reach 10M users by 2025. With AliExpress, Shein, and Temu thriving there, TikTok may have found its next big market.

Spain’s e-commerce reached $30B-$32B in 2023, but projections for 2025 vary from $42B to $47B. ONTSI, however, reports a 3x larger market, revealing major data discrepancies.

ECDB estimates $30B, while Statista reports $32B for Spain’s e-commerce in 2023 - pretty close. But by 2025, their estimates diverge: ECDB projects $42B, while Statista forecasts $47B. The COVID-19 impact is also inconsistent - Statista shows a sharp spike in 2021, while ECDB data remains flat. This raises the question: which methodology should we trust?

While ECDB and Statista report similar numbers, ONTSI claims Spain’s e-commerce reached $86B in 2023, almost 3x higher. All three sources define their data as B2C e-commerce and are dated to mid-2024. The key difference? Methodology.
1. ECDB triangulates data from transactions (credit cards, e-wallets), public company reports, traffic analytics, and web scraping.
2. Statista is a black box—its “Market Insights” estimates come with no transparency.
3. ONTSI runs a survey of 2,900 internet users, meaning their data is self-reported.

Between these, ECDB seems the most reliable, as it uses transaction data over estimates or surveys.

ECDB reports that Amazon dominates Spain’s e-commerce with $3.9B in revenue in 2023. Shein follows with $1.6B, making Spain its 4th-largest market globally. Local players El Corte Inglés ($1.4B), Mercadona ($703M), and Carrefour ($697M) are also growing. The key takeaway? Fast fashion and grocery e-commerce are booming. But here’s an important note—these numbers are based on online net sales, not total revenue.

Amazon’s numbers vary depending on the source. ECDB reports Amazon revenues over time (not net sales as in the chart before. Net sales exclude discounts and returns, so differences make sense). Statista’s figures are inflated as they include AWS and pre-2023 data from independent sources. Comparing them at face value is misleading. ECDB shows Amazon’s market share dropping from 20% to 14%, while Statista shows it fluctuating but steady. Completely different stories. What’s happening to Amazon in Spain? That’s worth investigating. The key lesson? Always question data, read the notes, and understand the methodology before drawing conclusions. You can also follow experts :)

🇬🇧 Amazon to launch drone deliveries in Darlington, UK. Amazon plans to start Prime Air drone deliveries from its Darlington fulfillment center, pending approval from the Civil Aviation Authority. The service aims to deliver packages up to 2.2 kg within 30 minutes.

🇩🇪 Amazon enters eyewear market with Optics launch in Germany. Amazon launched Optics in Germany, offering customizable eyewear. Shoppers can pick frames, lenses, and coatings, signaling Amazon’s push into new categories.

🇹🇭 TikTok Shop doubles Easy E-Receipt sign-ups in Thailand. The Easy E-Receipt 2.0 program saw double the participation, boosting sales within three days as Thai consumers prepare for Chinese New Year.

🇺🇸 Amazon cuts dozens in comms & sustainability.. On January 29, 2025, Amazon laid off employees in its communications and sustainability departments to streamline operations and enhance efficiency.

🇨🇦 Walmart Canada invests $4.5B to expand operations. Walmart Canada announces a $4.5 billion investment to build new stores and enhance its supply chain over the next five years, aiming to improve customer experience nationwide.

🇩🇪 Germany demands EU crackdown on dark patterns. The German government urges the EU to enforce the DSA against manipulative designs in online marketplaces. Consumer groups found dark patterns on Amazon, Shein, Temu, and 15 others.

🇬🇧 eBay launches downloadable VAT invoices for sellers. eBay's new trial enables sellers to easily download VAT invoices. Buyers get better access to VAT receipts, reducing seller workload.

🇺🇸 Temu boosts quality with top testing firms. Temu partners with TÜV SÜD, SGS, and others to enhance product safety. This move strengthens compliance in 90 markets.

🇬🇧 UK clothing exports to EU plunge over 60% post-Brexit. British apparel sales to the EU have dropped from £7.4B in 2019 to £2.7B in 2023, as reported by Retail Economics and Tradebyte.

🇩🇪 Mytheresa rebrands as LuxExperience post-YNAP deal. Mytheresa will rename itself LuxExperience following its YNAP acquisition. The rebranding, subject to approval, reflects its aim to be a top luxury digital group.

🇫🇷 Vestiaire Collective opens new logistics hub in France. The second-hand luxury marketplace opened a facility in Tourcoing to process 10K+ daily shipments. It also launched its first fashion-focused ad campaign at Paris Fashion Week.

🇫🇷 La Redoute expands subscription to six more countries. La Redoute+ will launch in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain after its Swiss debut. The model boosts spending, with subscribers in France purchasing twice as often and spending three times more.

🇬🇧 PrettyLittleThing cuts over 50 jobs amid financial scrutiny. PLT reduces workforce at Manchester HQ; Frasers Group questions undisclosed $2.5M consultancy fees to founder's son, Umar Kamani.

🇩🇪 Intersport Germany Sales Reach $3.8B Amid Challenges. In 2023/2024, INTERSPORT Germany achieved sales of $3.8B, maintaining its previous year's record despite economic downturns, as reported in their press release on January 28, 2025.

🇺🇸 StockX debuts beauty with Revlon x Megan Thee Stallion. StockX launches its first beauty product via DropX, featuring Revlon's Hot Girl Sunset Collection. The limited-edition set, priced from $40, drops July 28 at noon EST.

🇺🇸 Grubhub deploys 100 Avride robots at Ohio State. Grubhub and Avride have launched 100 delivery robots at The Ohio State University, aiming to enhance campus food delivery efficiency, as reported by Reuters on January 30, 2025.

🇦🇪 Flyby launches digital billboards on delivery bikes. On November 11, 2024, Flyby introduced Smart Delivery Boxes in Abu Dhabi, transforming delivery bikes into mobile digital billboards, offering geo-targeted advertising opportunities.

🇺🇸 Amazon Go to close another store, down 50% since 2023. Amazon will shut down its Woodland Hills, CA store on Feb. 26, marking a 50% drop in locations since early 2023. The company cites portfolio assessment but remains committed to physical retail.

🇮🇳 Zepto shifts HQ to India amid IPO push. Zepto moves its headquarters from Singapore to India, joining PhonePe and Groww. The quick-commerce startup plans a $1.1B IPO at a $5B valuation this year.

🇪🇸 Leroy Merlin debuts custom interior-exterior designs. The company partners with Decotherapy to offer personalized design services, financing, and expert support, launching first in Spain.

🇺🇸 Instacart debuts Super Bowl ad with brand mascots. Instacart’s first-ever Super Bowl ad features iconic grocery mascots delivering an order. The campaign showcases Instacart’s new "We’re Here" brand platform.

🇸🇪 IKEA expands Preowned platform across Norway and Spain. After successful trials in Oslo and Madrid, IKEA's second-hand marketplace, Preowned, now covers all of Norway and Spain, aiming for Europe-wide expansion.

🇬🇧 Lidl wins approval for first in-store pub in NI. A High Court ruling allows Lidl to open its first-ever pub inside its Dundonald store near Belfast, replacing two former pubs. The retailer plans to invest £410K in the project.

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