Incentives Accelerate the Shift to Cross-border Expansion, Shopee's Domestic Trade Merchant Conference in Hangzhou Sends Multiple Key Signals

[Ebrun Original] April 24th news. Recently, the "Setting Sail from Hangzhou, Goods to Distant Shores" 2026 Shopee Domestic Seller Merchant Conference was held in Hangzhou. The conference focused on the transformation of domestic sellers into cross-border expansion, providing systematic sharing on market opportunities, platform trends, and operational methods. Through on-site Q&A sessions with official managers and analysis of practical cases, it offered more actionable cross-border references for domestic merchants at different stages.

Shopee pointed out that as the growth rate of the domestic market slows, cross-border is becoming a new growth area for domestic sellers. Looking overseas, emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and Latin America are still in an expansion phase.

Taking Southeast Asia as an example, the compound annual growth rate of sales over the past five years exceeded 20%, approximately 2-3 times that of the domestic market. At the same time, brand concentration in overseas emerging markets is lower, product homogenization is relatively weaker, and overall customer acquisition costs are lower, providing more room for growth for various Chinese brands and sellers.

At the conference, the platform stated that the advantages of the Chinese supply chain in terms of quality, cost-effectiveness, and response efficiency continue to be released, and the recognition of Chinese goods in overseas markets is also constantly improving—nearly 60% of global consumers have made cross-border online purchases of Chinese products. Naturally, the growth for domestic sellers points towards the broader overseas market.

To precisely match the needs of domestic sellers at different development stages, Shopee has launched diversified business models: beginners or sellers wishing to test the waters lightly can start with cross-border direct shipping, a low-threshold method to validate product categories and demand; merchants with stable inventory and mature domestic trade experience can improve experience and conversion through localized fulfillment.

Furthermore, to further lower the barrier for domestic trade expansion, Shopee has collaborated with ERP systems such as Jushuitan, Miaoshou, Wangdiantong, Dianxiaomi, Mango Store Manager, and Kuaidi Assistant to launch a lightweight cross-border expansion solution called "Shopee Light Expansion." Sellers only need to list products with one click through the ERP system, and the platform will handle store operations, traffic allocation, cross-border logistics, and other aspects, helping sellers take the first step in cross-border expansion quickly and at low cost.

Building on this, the platform further strengthens conversion and growth certainty through exclusive incentive mechanisms for various types of sellers. Data shows that many sellers participating in domestic trade incentive programs can achieve monthly sales of millions of RMB after a six-month ramp-up period.

It is reported that this year marks Shopee's tenth year in China. Regarding cross-border business, the platform has formed a comprehensive operational ecosystem and, through cross-regional supply integration and deep cultivation of Chinese industrial clusters, continues to connect more sellers to overseas markets.

At the conference, as a representative of domestic trade expansion, Ye Jian, the head of Semir's Shopee business, deconstructed the key path from the decision to expand overseas to execution based on the brand's practice. He pointed out that cross-border growth does not rely on a single capability but on the synergy of multiple capabilities such as product, marketing, and fulfillment. The localized market insights and full-chain ecosystem services accumulated by Shopee can precisely help brands adapt to the market more efficiently and reduce trial-and-error costs.

Ebrun will continue to track and report on this information. To learn more details related to this article, please scan the QR code to follow the author's WeChat.