E-commerce Morning Brief: iPhone 18 Pro Sells Out in Seconds Across Multiple Platforms During Pre-Sale; TikTok Shop U.S. Rolls Out Image Post Product Link Feature to All Eligible Users

Item 1: iPhone 18 Pro series pre-sales sell out in seconds across multiple platforms

Apple officially opened pre-orders for its new products at 8 p.m. on September 12. The iPhone 18 Pro line sold out across multiple retail platforms in less than one minute. As of press time, orders can still be placed normally on Apple's official website, though delivery times for some popular models have been pushed back significantly to September 30. Data from fashion and lifestyle e-commerce platform Dewu shows notable price premiums for certain iPhone 18 Pro models. The average transaction price for the 256GB Burgundy iPhone 18 Pro Max reached 12,799 yuan, marking a 1,800 yuan (16.4%) markup over the official retail price. The 256GB silver variant of the same model posted an average transaction price of 13,999 yuan, up 3,000 yuan, or a 27.3% premium.

Item 2: JD Waimai launches "Weekly Meal Pre-order" feature to cater to regular dining demand

JD Waimai, the food delivery arm of JD.com, recently rolled out its "Weekly Meal Pre-order" function. The feature allows users to book daily meal deliveries for the next seven days in a single transaction, enabling them to plan a full week of meals based on their schedule, taste preferences, budget and dietary requirements. The process is streamlined: users can navigate to the Miaosong instant delivery channel on the JD app, access the "Weekly Menu" page via the icon in the top right corner, select desired delivery times and addresses, place orders for multiple meals in advance and complete payment in one tap, with the whole process taking as little as 10 seconds.

Item 3: TikTok Shop U.S. fully launches image post product tagging feature, driving over 800% GMV growth in three months

TikTok Shop's U.S. division announced it is fully opening access to the image post product linking feature, covering high-quality cross-border POP (third-party platform open plan) merchants and creators across all product categories. From May to July, overall GMV from self-operated cross-border image content on the U.S. site surged more than 800%, making it the fastest-growing emerging incremental channel among all merchant-generated content formats. The image content feature was first rolled out to a group of high-tier creators starting September 4. The default commission rate for product links in image posts is set at 60% of the rate for short video links, and orders driven by these posts are not counted towards free sample fulfillment requirements, providing merchants with a new, lower-cost path to expand creator partnerships.

Item 4: Xiaohongshu plans to expand covered categories for Redshop cross-border program, with apparel, beauty and home goods subject to service fee rules

According to a September 14 update, Xiaohongshu recently released a draft notification for public comment on the *New Service Fee Rules for Merchants in the Redshop Overseas Navigation Program*, under which the platform plans to charge separate cross-border service fees to merchants participating in the program. The new rule is currently in the public comment period and is scheduled to officially take effect on September 16. Under the draft rules, cross-border service fees are charged separately for each product in an order based on its category. The fee schedule covers multiple categories including apparel, beauty, home goods, 3C digital products, pet supplies, outdoor sports products, cultural creative products and handicrafts, with most first-level categories carrying a 10% fee rate. Two second-level categories — "handmade/DIY crafts" and "trading cards/card collectibles" — are subject to a 5% rate, while anime merchandise, doll clothing and cotton dolls carry an 8% rate.

Item 5: WeChat Mini Store adds "Trendy Wear & Sneaker Authentication" category, opens to trendy apparel and footwear sellers

WeChat Mini Store has launched a new second-level category named "Trendy Wear & Sneaker Authentication", allowing eligible sellers to list and sell trendy apparel and limited-edition sneakers. All orders under this category follow a "inspect-before-ship" policy: after a consumer places an order, merchants must first send the item to WeChat Mini Store's quality inspection center. Only after the product passes authenticity and quality checks will it be shipped to the buyer from the inspection warehouse. Per the category rules, WeChat Mini Store has raised entry thresholds for the segment. Individual industrial and commercial households are temporarily ineligible to apply; only enterprise-level stores can submit targeted applications. A category security deposit of 20,000 yuan is required. Stores approved for the trendy authentication category cannot operate in other product categories, and are restricted exclusively to trendy apparel and sneaker sales. Brands sold on the platform must be added to the official whitelist: domestic brands must provide complete authorization chains of up to three levels, while imported goods must be accompanied by customs declaration documents and purchase receipts from the past year, with full supply chain qualification reviews conducted throughout the process.

Item 6: Taobao toy category lead: Plush toy repurchase rate is more than double that of standard toy categories

Sheng Yi, head of the toy category at Taobao Tmall, recently noted that on the Taobao Tmall platform, the repeat purchase rate for the plush toy category is at least twice as high as that of general toy categories. She added that the plush toy market is a new-product-driven sector for repeat purchases, with new plush product launches accounting for over 30% of all new product releases in the overall toy market. In her view, while consumers may cut back on impulsive bulk purchases and become more selective during an economic downturn, the popularity of plush products is unlikely to fade. Purchase decisions for plush items are largely driven by overall design aesthetics, and consumers are willing to pay for novelty and emotional value offered by the products.

Item 7: Baijiahao app to rebrand as "Baidu Live Companion"

Baidu announced that its content creation platform, the Baijiahao app, will be officially renamed "Baidu Live Companion" on September 22, 2026, going forward with a core focus on providing live streaming-related functions for users. The rebrand will not affect users' account information, historical creation data or accumulated earnings in any way. Non-live content creators can continue to publish and manage articles via the "Creation Center" under the "My" tab in the main Baidu app, while live streaming creators can continue to carry out live streaming-related operations via the rebranded Baidu Live Companion app.

That wraps up today's morning brief. For more e-commerce insights and updates, stay tuned to Ebrun Audio News.

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