E-commerce in 2024 had one underlying theme: China.

This year highlighted that the best known Chinese way of doing e-commerce, aka selling cheap and inexpensive items online, is here to stay.

The rise of Chinese-linked marketplaces like Temu and Shein showed up in the volume of delivery packages received from these platforms, so much so that there is no room for other industries on international cargo flights. Shein and Temu together shipped roughly 600,000 packages to the US every day, Reuters reported at the beginning of 2024.

As the year progressed, the US escalated its crackdown on the trade rule (de minimus) that helps Shein and Temu easily import goods to the US. In September, the White House used its executive authority to tighten regulations against “increased abuse” of the de minimis exemption, and proposed stringent rules on the entry of low-value shipments into the US.

Another China marker dropped when Amazon opened its own discounted store, Haul, in November, in a likely bid to compete more aggressively with these Chinese rivals. In a brutal take on Haul, The Atlantic wrote that, “Amazon’s entry into the market officially makes it mainstream.”

The way Juozas Kaziukėnas, founder and CEO of Marketplace Pulse, sees it, “You’re either competing with China [or] you’re sourcing from China [or] you’re dealing with upcoming tariffs on Chinese goods, or you’re competing with Chinese platforms.”

Keep reading here.—VC

Bad weather and election fears didn’t put a damper on retail spending in November. The latest federal data showed a 0.7% increase from the month before and 3.8% from the year before.

J.P. Morgan analyst Christopher Horvers wrote in a research note that the return of cold weather and strong Black Friday spending offset “post-election uncertainty and unfavorable weather” earlier in the month.

Six categories out of 10 tracked by the bank accelerated year over year, he explained, including non-store, sporting goods, home improvement, general merchandise, and auto parts.

Keep reading here.—AV

The American Girl brand is, well, all-American. The dolls all come with their own stories, some tied to pivotal moments in American history, and the brand aims to instill “confidence, character, and courage” in young girls, according to Jamie Cygielman, president of American Girl. Inspiring its target audience to learn and be the best version of themselves? Very wholesome!

But if its TikTok account is any indication, the beloved doll and book brand isn’t afraid to embrace some slightly less squeaky-clean internet humor—and its audience isn’t just young girls.

Keep reading here on Marketing Brew.—JN