Is cross-border e-commerce a new trend? Alibaba's Lazada connects with Tmall.

Is cross-border e-commerce a new trend? Alibaba's Lazada connects with Tmall.

 

In the second half of 2025, Chinese e-commerce platforms have significantly accelerated their cross-border expansion efforts. Recently, JD.com announced the relaunch of the Joybuy brand, initially launching in France and planning to further enter the German market. Meanwhile, Alibaba Group is promoting the system-level integration of Lazada and Tmall and has launched the "One-Click Light Overseas Expansion" project, aiming to assist more small and medium-sized sellers in entering the international market. Coupled with policy support at the national level, a "second wave of overseas expansion" is taking shape.

PART.1

New Signals of "Going Global for the Second Time"

Compared with the "first overseas expansion" of Chinese e-commerce platforms a decade ago, the current overseas expansion model is undergoing changes.

At that time, most platforms entered the market by leveraging cross-border direct shipping and price advantages. A typical representative was AliExpress.

The current platform places greater emphasis on localized operation, system interoperability, as well as supply chain and logistics capabilities. Its goal is not merely to expand sales, but to build a long-term and stable ecosystem.

This transformation reflects the changes in overseas consumer demand and also indicates that cross-border e-commerce is rising in the structure of China's trade.

 

PART.2

JD Joybuy: Re-positioning Europe

JD.com has relaunched Joybuy, choosing France as its first stop and planning to enter Germany. Unlike the highly concentrated market in North America, the e-commerce landscape in Europe is relatively fragmented, offering more opportunities for new entrants.

 

 

JD.com stated that it will leverage its advantages in supply chain, warehousing and logistics systems to support sellers in enhancing their fulfillment efficiency.

The European market generally values quality and delivery experience, and JD's model has a certain degree of compatibility.

Judging from the signals, this is not only a brand relaunch but also reflects JD's renewed attempt at the European market.

 

PART.3

The system integration of Lazada and Tmall within the Alibaba ecosystem.

The moves of Alibaba's affiliated platforms are also worth watching. The integration of Lazada and Tmall's systems means that merchants' products and operations on one platform can be more quickly expanded to another market.

 

 

For sellers, this interoperability reduces the complexity of cross-border operations.

In addition, the "One-Click Easy Overseas Expansion" program offers small and medium-sized sellers a lower-threshold opportunity to try cross-border business.

This is regarded as a further deepening of the platform's integration between the Southeast Asian and Chinese markets.

 

PART.4

The boost from policies and the environment

Behind the platform's actions, there is also the support of the policy environment:

China's comprehensive pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce have covered multiple provinces across the country. The customs authorities have optimized the customs clearance models such as 9610 and 9710 - where 9610 is applicable to cross-border B2C retail exports and 9710 mainly targets B2B exports. The latest improvements have shortened the customs clearance time at some ports to the hourly level, significantly enhancing efficiency.

The number of partner countries in the "Silk Road E-commerce" initiative has increased to 35, providing more channels for platforms and sellers to expand their markets.

The construction of overseas warehouses and cross-border logistics facilities has accelerated, continuously improving the delivery experience.

These factors collectively provide favorable conditions for the platform's second overseas expansion.

 

PART.5

The significance for sellers

For Chinese sellers, the platform's second overseas expansion brings both opportunities and new requirements.

As global competition on platforms intensifies, sellers can enter different markets through more channels.

By leveraging models such as Light Overseas Expansion and Full-Service Management, sellers can reduce the trial-and-error costs of going global.

At the same time, compliance operation, brand building and differentiated competition will become important issues in the future.

The development direction of cross-border e-commerce is gradually shifting from merely pursuing scale to long-term operation and brand value.

PART.6

 

Conclusion: More Possibilities

JD's Joybuy has relaunched, Alibaba is promoting system integration, and with continuous support from the policy side, China's e-commerce platforms' "second overseas expansion" is entering a new stage. Unlike the previous model that mainly relied on price and cross-border direct delivery, this round pays more attention to localization, ecosystem building, and branding. In the future, as competition and cooperation among platforms proceed in parallel, the cross-border e-commerce market may witness a new round of reshaping, creating more possibilities for sellers.