Amazon Ads Integrates with ChatGPT; Temu-Owned Brand BEMUVO Launches in Japan and Canada | Cross-Border E-Commerce Weekly

【Ebrun Original】Here are the key developments in the cross-border e-commerce sector over the past week:

# Platform Updates #

【Amazon】

1. Amazon Ads officially integrates with ChatGPT, initially open to select U.S. brands

On September 11, Amazon announced an advertising partnership with OpenAI. Select advertisers using Amazon DSP in the U.S. market will be able to extend their ad campaigns to ChatGPT, with Delta Vacations among the first brands participating in the test.

According to currently disclosed information, advertisers can pay on a cost-per-click or cost-per-impression basis, or submit product catalogs for the system to automatically generate ad creatives. Ads will appear in text or image format below ChatGPT responses, with clear sponsorship labeling. Amazon’s team is responsible for building and optimizing ad campaigns, while OpenAI’s ad system retains control over which ads are displayed and in which conversational contexts.

Currently, the program operates as a managed service, available only to select U.S. brands; Amazon has not yet announced a self-service ad placement portal. Sponsored Products for regular Amazon sellers will not automatically appear on ChatGPT.

2. Amazon upgrades WhatsApp shopping service with AI shopping guide feature

According to foreign media reports, Amazon recently launched an upgraded WhatsApp shopping service for consumers. After receiving messages from Amazon, users can reply to check promotions, request product recommendations, and search for relevant items, then complete purchases by redirecting to the Amazon app or official website.

Real-world testing shows that when asking the service for the best mosquito repellent spray, the system first confirms whether the use case is for home use, horsefly repellent, or personal protection. After selecting the home use scenario, it provides multiple options including products from two leading brands, then proactively asks if users want pet-safe, discounted, or plug-in alternative options.

3. Amazon Prime Video launches new feature allowing direct purchase of on-screen items while watching shows

Per foreign media reports, Amazon recently unveiled a series of new shopping features for its Prime Video streaming platform, enabling users to more conveniently purchase products related to on-screen content through built-in portals while watching movies, TV shows, and sports content.

This update comes one year after Amazon first launched its in-show shopping feature, Shop the Show. The original version of Shop the Show was a second-screen shopping experience, requiring users to enter corresponding commands in the search bar of the Amazon mobile shopping app to access the product page associated with the currently playing movie, TV show, or sports event, with a poorly visible entry point that was easy for users to miss. Following the launch of this new set of features, product recommendation entry points will be placed more prominently, significantly shortening the access path.

When users pause a show and press the up button on their Fire TV remote, they can bring up the X-Ray interface. Previously used primarily to display real-time actor bios, character names, and soundtrack information, the updated X-Ray adds a dedicated shopping tab that centralizes products associated with the currently playing content. When users later open the Amazon shopping app, the system will automatically recognize the playing content and redirect them to a product feed synced with the current playback timestamp, allowing direct browsing and purchasing.

4. Amazon to launch two China-U.S. air freight services with transit times of 7-10 days and 11-15 days

Amazon Global Logistics will soon launch two China-U.S. air freight services: standard and economy. Amazon stated that the estimated transit times from China to U.S. Amazon fulfillment centers are 7-10 calendar days for the standard service and 11-15 calendar days for the economy service.

The standard service leverages scheduled flights from Shanghai and Hong Kong to the U.S., while the economy service ships via scheduled flights from Shanghai and Shenzhen. Both services use immediate unloading, allowing cargo to be unloaded directly upon arrival at destination port warehouses to reduce inbound waiting times.

【TikTok】

1. Copying domestic livestream playbooks? TikTok Shop U.S. internally tests "Price Cut" and "Group Buying" livestream features

On September 9, foreign media reported that TikTok Shop U.S. will begin internal testing of two interactive livestream features, Price Cut and Group Buying, on September 10, initially opening only to select invited top merchants.

Specifically, the core of Price Cut is that prices change based on user interaction: users drive prices down through likes, comments, shares, and other interactions, with more participants and stronger engagement increasing the likelihood of further price drops. Merchants can set reserve prices in advance; users complete pre-authorization before participating, and are automatically charged the final transaction price after the event ends.

2. TikTok Shop connects EU-UK two-way cross-border sales, with pilot in September and full launch in October

TikTok Shop officially launched two-way cross-border sales between the European Union and the United Kingdom, with plans to launch a pilot for select EU sellers on September 21 and achieve full rollout on October 19. Once implemented, sellers in eight markets (Belgium, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain) will be able to sell to UK consumers, while UK sellers will be able to sell to 12 EU countries covered by the Sell Across Europe network. In terms of eligibility criteria, sales from the EU to the UK only support seller-fulfilled models, where sellers must independently select carriers, bear shipping costs, and handle logistics disputes.

3. TikTok adds poll and image-text reply features to comment sections, upgrading multi-format interactive scenarios

TikTok recently rolled out a major upgrade to its comment section system, launching three new interactive tools at once to comprehensively boost video comment section engagement and community stickiness by enriching user reply formats and improving interactive experiences. The update covers voice comments, creator polls, photo carousels, and live photo replies, with diverse use cases adapted to cross-border content operation needs. Among them, the up-to-60-second voice comment feature will roll out globally to users aged 18 and above within a month, supporting recorded messages with auto-generated translated text to help users intuitively express authentic feedback.

4. TikTok Shop tests paid membership program with $6-$15 monthly fee, benchmarking Amazon Prime

According to foreign media reports, TikTok Shop recently launched testing for a paid membership program named TikTok Shop Plus, benchmarking Amazon Prime. During the current testing phase, monthly membership fees range from $6 to $15, with varying pricing and discount intensities received by different users.

Test interface screenshots shared on social platforms show membership benefits covering free shipping across multiple categories, exclusive member discounts, and additional monthly coupon grants. One user shared their membership invitation: a product priced at $54.99 was eligible for a $10 exclusive member coupon, and while the platform normally requires a $60 minimum order for free shipping, activating the membership (free for the first month) granted direct free shipping, with a $10 monthly fee starting the second month.

5. TikTok Shop Brazil launches local merchant support program, with new sellers eligible for 50% commission reduction in first 90 days starting September

On September 2, 2026, TikTok Shop Brazil released a new round of local merchant support plans, offering a series of preferential measures for Brazil-based entity sellers joining between September and November 2026: 50% reduction in category commissions for the first 90 days, commission waivers for select home & garden and maternal & infant categories, free traffic incentives for short video and livestream content, and the launch of free online training camps covering content editing, script skills, and product selection methods. In terms of market context, social channel orders in Brazil grew 32% year-over-year in the first half of 2026, while TikTok Shop Brazil’s monthly GMV increased from 5 million reais in its launch month to 1.58 billion reais in June 2026, with a large number of local brands that previously only operated stores on Mercado Libre beginning to implement dual-platform layout strategies.

6. TikTok to invest $980 million in Vietnam to scale Southeast Asian logistics network

On September 11, it was reported that TikTok is accelerating its penetration of Vietnam’s logistics sector. According to a statement from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance, TikTok’s Singapore-registered affiliated company Tokgistic Pte. Ltd. will invest $980 million to build the Swift Logistics project in Ho Chi Minh City. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance issued an investment registration certificate to Tokgistic on September 7.

Swift Logistics is planned to operate for 50 years and will commence operations this November. Tokgistic will initially invest $196 million, accounting for 20% of registered capital, with remaining funds to be added in subsequent phases.

7. TikTok Shop U.S. further expands product link access for image-text content, covering high-quality merchants and creators across all categories

Amid the critical preparation period for Black Friday 2026, TikTok Shop U.S. announced it is further expanding product link permissions for image-text content, covering high-quality cross-border POP merchants and creators across all categories, while providing category-specific operation guidance, automated product tools, and exclusive incentive support.

It is reported that since the launch of image-text product links, cross-border self-operated image-text business in the U.S. market has seen rapid growth. From May to July this year, overall image-text GMV increased by over 800%, making it the fastest-growing new opportunity among merchant-created content formats. Creator image-text daily GMV has shown strong growth momentum; starting September 4, the image-text feature was opened to select high-tier creators, with a default commission rate for image-text product links set at 60% of that for short videos. Additionally, creator image-text product links do not count towards sample fulfillment requirements, providing merchants with opportunities to expand creator collaboration at low cost.

【Shein】

1. SHEIN semi-managed model launches in Poland, allowing shared inventory with other EU sites

On September 10, it was reported that SHEIN’s semi-managed model will officially open its Poland site in mid-September, launching its first wave of seller recruitment. This marks SHEIN semi-managed’s new site in Europe following its five initial European sites (Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Spain).

Under SHEIN’s semi-managed model, sellers can independently select products, stock goods in local overseas warehouses, and fulfill delivery to consumers themselves, while the platform retains pricing power, assists sellers with store operations, and provides traffic support and marketing assistance. For the newly launched Poland site, sellers can ship from Poland warehouses or fulfill Poland orders using inventory from other EU countries, and share a single account with sites in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain to achieve pan-European integrated operations.

【Pinduoduo Temu】

1. Temu-owned brand BEMUVO launches in Japan and Canada, Pinduoduo’s self-operated layout emerges

Temu is quietly integrating its platform role with brand ownership. A brand named BEMUVO has launched on sites including Japan and Canada, covering nearly 200 SKUs across home goods, T-shirts, and co-branded lines with Winx Club and Tom and Jerry. The trademark applicant is Shanghai Xinpinmu Hongqiao E-Commerce Co., Ltd., with pages marked as directly supplied by the official brand. Xinpinmu is the global brand self-operated project announced by Pinduoduo this March, which integrates Pinduoduo and Temu supply chains, with an initial capital injection of 15 billion yuan and a planned total investment of 100 billion yuan over three years.

【AliExpress】

1. AliExpress Brand accelerates new market expansion, with triple-digit growth in multiple key categories in South Korea

Following a 97% counter-trend surge for AliExpress Brand in the EU, Brand has also achieved a breakthrough in South Korea, accelerating its expansion into a new key market for brand globalization. In August this year, Brand merchants became the main driver of AliExpress’s growth in South Korea, with mini PC category GMV growing over 200% month-over-month from June, storage category growing over 150%, and outdoor entertainment categories such as fishing gear also achieving rapid, notable growth in South Korea.

【Other Platforms】

1. Alibaba International’s Accio sees global user growth of over 30x, open-sources first real e-commerce Agent benchmark

Recently, Alibaba International’s annual overseas buyer conference, CoCreate 2026, opened at the Los Angeles Convention Center in the U.S., drawing over 15,000 local small and medium-sized enterprises in attendance. Data shows that on Alibaba International, traffic from AI multimodal search used by overseas buyers increased by over 132%. On Accio, Alibaba International’s global e-commerce AI workbench, AI token consumption grew 6x in just four months. Over the past year, Accio’s global user base grew by over 30 times, with 10 million small and medium-sized enterprises now using Accio to conduct business. Many of the 15,000 attendees were among the first to use Agents like Accio for cross-border procurement.

2. Allegro launches large-item delivery service Allegro XL

Recently, Central and Eastern European e-commerce platform Allegro announced a partnership with Polish logistics operator Rohlig SUUS Logistics to begin testing a new large-item delivery service called "Allegro XL," targeting products whose size and weight exceed standard parcel limits. Currently, Allegro XL remains in the testing phase and is expected to open to the first batch of sellers and consumers in the coming weeks. Initially, it will cover the "electronics" and "audio/video/home appliances" categories, with gradual expansion to more categories such as "home & garden" and "sports & travel" in the coming months.

3. Adobe Q3 revenue rises 13% YoY to $6.76 billion

On September 10 local time, Adobe reported its Q3 FY2026 results. The earnings report showed quarterly revenue of $6.76 billion, up 13% year-over-year; GAAP net income of $1.83 billion; GAAP diluted earnings per share of $4.62, and non-GAAP earnings per share of $6.13. Adobe stated that annualized recurring revenue from its AI business grew over 150% year-over-year, while monthly active users of its creative and productivity products surpassed 1 billion. (Source: Jiemian News)

# Merchant News #

1. Anker Innovations 2026 interim report: Net profit surges 45% to 1.7 billion yuan, non-Amazon channels post strong growth

Global consumer electronics brand Anker Innovations released its 2026 interim report. The report shows that in the first half of the year, the company achieved operating revenue of 16.605 billion yuan, up 29.05% year-over-year; net profit attributable to listed company shareholders reached 1.702 billion yuan, up 45.86% year-over-year; non-GAAP net profit attributable to shareholders was 1.439 billion yuan, up 49.65% year-over-year; gross margin reached 49.82%, up 5.09 percentage points from the same period last year.

2. Pop Mart’s Wang Ning visits LVMH headquarters, received by group head and family members

According to Sina Tech, Pop Mart founder Wang Ning recently met with LVMH Group Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault at LVMH’s headquarters in Paris, France, marking their first meeting. Wang also presented Arnault with a Labubu doll on site. The gifted item is reported to be the MEGA LABUBU 10th Anniversary edition, a globally limited-release model. Also attending the meeting were Delphine Arnault, LVMH Group’s eldest daughter and Dior CEO, and Pietro Beccari, core LVMH executive and Louis Vuitton Global CEO. (Source: Sina Tech)

# Industry Policies & Data #

1. China demands France repeal fast fashion law targeting Shein and Temu

Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Huang Ling made strong remarks on France’s anti-ultra-fast fashion law at a regular press conference on September 4, urging France to immediately cease implementation of the law. China argues that the law applies double standards in the name of environmental and sustainability criteria, violates WTO non-discrimination principles, and explicitly discriminates against Chinese platforms. China warned that if France insists on advancing the law, it will take necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, with all consequences borne by France. The new French law, which officially took effect on September 2, defines ultra-fast fashion based on two indicators: annual new product launch volume and whether guidance prioritizes repair over replacement, and levies taxes on eligible clothing, footwear, and home textiles based on scoring ratios. Specifically, a surcharge of 0.25 to 12 euros per item will be imposed starting in 2026, with the upper limit raised to 20 euros starting in 2030. Fees are borne by producers but can be passed on to product prices.

2. Southeast Asian content e-commerce GMV projected to reach $77.9 billion in 2026, accounting for nearly 40% of total e-commerce transaction value

According to data from a 2026 Southeast Asian livestream e-commerce report released by a Singapore-based research and venture capital firm, total content commerce GMV across Shopee, TikTok Shop, and Lazada reached $49.7 billion in 2025, nearly doubling from the previous year. In the first half of 2026, transaction value in this segment already reached $33.8 billion; based on current growth rates, full-year total scale will reach $77.9 billion.

This article was first published on the official website of Ebrun.