TikTok Shop Lowers The Entry Threshold For Cross-border POP Merchants in Europe! The E-commerce Carnival Is About To Kick Off.

TikTok Shop lowers the entry threshold for cross-border POP merchants in Europe! The e-commerce carnival is about to kick off.

The European e-commerce market has been booming from the first half of the year to the second half.

Since March this year, cross-border merchants targeting the European market have noticed that the number of orders from Europe has been soaring. The changes in global trade have drawn more sellers' attention to this developed consumer market. And as the Black Friday, Christmas and other consumption seasons kick off in the second half of the year, Europe has become a crucial period for cross-border merchants to explore new frontiers.

 

According to the latest forecast data from Statista, the revenue of the European e-commerce market will reach 707.9 billion US dollars (approximately 5.11 trillion yuan) in 2025, with a market size of 1.38 trillion US dollars (approximately 9.95 trillion yuan). The compound annual growth rate from 2025 to 2029 is expected to be 7.95%.

 

In terms of user volume, the e-commerce user base in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain has exceeded 100 million. Moreover, these five countries are leading the e-commerce sector in Europe. The UK's e-commerce market has already ranked among the top four globally, with the second-highest per capita e-commerce spending in the world. Meanwhile, the e-commerce markets in Germany, France, Italy and Spain have been growing continuously over the past five years. It is expected that their average compound growth rate will reach 9% in the next five years, outpacing the global average.

It is reported that the global overseas influencer incubation agency Vibra Verse launched its business in the UK based on TikTok Shop in June 2023 and quickly became the number one in the UK market, gradually expanding to the European market. The brand manager of Vibra Verse observed that the sales GMV of overseas influencers this year has been very impressive. "In the UK alone, the monthly volume can reach 4 million pounds, and the highest monthly output was nearly 5 million pounds."

 

Before the consumption peak season in the second half of the year, Xiguang Society noticed that recently, TikTok Shop Cross-border Self-Operation (POP) updated the merchant entry standards for the European market: for the five European countries (Spain, Germany, Italy, France, and the UK), the operation experience on third-party e-commerce platforms by merchants has changed from a mandatory requirement to an optional one; at the same time, the rights and benefits for key merchants of TikTok Shop in the US and Amazon have also been upgraded. After this adjustment to the entry standards, it has become more convenient for merchants to enter, but in fact, the platform's control over the compliance of merchants' qualifications has not been relaxed.

The launch of TikTok Shop has brought a rare opportunity for merchants who want to expand into the European market through cross-border e-commerce. While attracting more merchants to join, these new measures will also provide European consumers with more diverse shopping options, achieving a two-way empowerment of "consumer experience improvement" and "merchant opportunity release".

 

The European market has become a key strategic area for Chinese brand merchants to go global.

Its huge consumption potential, mature business environment and unique market pattern attract a large number of Chinese sellers to come and chase the cross-border dividends.

The brand manager of Vibra Verse summed up the Black Friday trends in the European market this year with two key words: "increment" and "data".

The "increment" mainly stems from the popularity of social media and content e-commerce among young consumers in Europe, especially TikTok short video reviews, which have directly influenced local consumers' purchasing behavior. Recently, TikTok announced that its monthly active users in the European market have exceeded 200 million, accounting for about one-third of the total population in Europe, representing a significant increase compared to last year. Among them, users aged 13 to 24 account for more than 50%. These young people have a high acceptance of content e-commerce, providing a good foundation for Chinese cross-border brands to build recognition in Europe.

The Chinese household small appliance brand Lubluelu chose the German market as its first stop when entering Europe.

Germany is the economic "locomotive" of Europe. With its huge economic scale and stable consumption capacity, it has become the focus of merchants. Data released by the European distribution management platform Scurri shows that in the first quarter of 2025, the number of e-commerce orders in Germany increased by 45%, and in the second quarter, it also grew by 37% year-on-year.

 

After entering Germany, Lubluelu quickly gained recognition from European consumers through high-quality content and products on platforms such as TikTok Shop. Within less than three months of its entry, its flagship vacuum cleaner product consistently ranked among the top three in the German market on the platform.

One of the key reasons for Lubluelu's success is that it became popular through viral videos on TikTok Shop, with over 90% of its sales coming from collaborations with influencers. The brand connects with consumers through "good content" and uses the "discovery shopping" scenario to stimulate purchasing desire, thereby driving a significant increase in sales.

The success of Lubluelu on TikTok Shop demonstrates that high-quality content can better attract potential European consumers, helping Chinese brands compete with international big names. It also indicates that content e-commerce in Europe is becoming a new trend, and the role of social media in shopping decisions is increasingly important, presenting new growth opportunities for Chinese brands.

 

Of course, apart from Germany, several core markets such as the UK, France, Italy and Spain are also entering the "golden growth period" of e-commerce.

Facing the booming market and the pain points of merchant access, TikTok Shop platform has reached a key node for policy optimization. This policy upgrade of TikTok Shop is particularly important for sellers who want to seize the opportunity to enter the European market, especially for TikTok Shop cross-border self-operated (POP) merchants. This adjustment of the entry policy provides more potential Chinese brands with the opportunity to enter the European market, further promoting the expansion of Chinese brands in the international e-commerce field.

 

 

According to Xiguang Society's understanding, the recent upgrade of TikTok Shop's cross-border e-commerce policies introduces new entry standards for cross-border self-operated (POP) model merchants in the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France.

The platform has changed the requirement for TikTok Shop cross-border self-operation (POP) merchants to provide third-party e-commerce platform operation experience from a mandatory field to an optional one. On the basis of ensuring the qualifications and operational capabilities of merchants, the recruitment scope of merchants has been expanded to attract more types of merchants to settle in, making the settlement process more convenient and enriching the platform's ecosystem.

 

However, compliance control has not been relaxed. The platform still maintains the review of the authenticity of the materials and qualifications for entry, as well as the business qualifications, to ensure the compliance of merchants. This helps to screen out stable and long-term development potential merchants, reduce potential market risks, and improve the overall quality of merchants on the platform.

In addition, TikTok Shop offers exclusive benefits and support to two key types of merchants: first, key merchants in the US market who have joined, and second, cross-border merchants with Amazon operation experience. These benefits include product subsidies, service provider discounts, and content rights and interests.

TikTok Shop has launched a series of exclusive benefits to support key merchants in the European market:

Product subsidies: By completing designated submissions, product promotion, and marketing activities, UK merchants can receive up to $800 in product discount vouchers, while merchants in the four EU countries can receive up to $700 in product discount vouchers.

Service provider benefits: Merchants can enjoy limited-time zero-fee withdrawal services provided by partners such as LianLian and PingPong, as well as warehouse discount vouchers from logistics service providers like Winit and Gucang. Additionally, after opening an advertising account and completing a recharge, they can receive up to $6,000 in cashback. Moreover, they can use the short-video AIGC tool for free within 30 days.

Content rights: Merchants' stores will be exempt from the quantity limit on establishing connections with influencers, participate in exclusive influencer agency matching events organized by the platform, and can apply for four channel accounts with a zero-follower threshold to quickly build a content marketing matrix.

 

Key merchants from the US region who enter the UK region also enjoy exclusive benefits.

Limited-time subsidies for new market entry: Enjoy up to $1,000 in advertising credits upon entry, exclusive assistance from influencer agencies to boost business, and up to $20,000 in sample subsidies for key products. Exclusive marketing event Launch Deal helps business explode.

Rapid business growth in the US market: Priority participation in key events, additional support during Black Friday, and joint promotion on platform charts.

Guaranteed efficient business operation: One-click store opening, global product and content synchronization, and access to cross-border direct mail/FBT/tax services.

Unlike short-term traffic subsidies or promotional activities, TikTok Shop's policies for cross-border self-operation (POP) merchants in five European countries focus more on empowering merchants from the "infrastructure" and "business ecosystem" levels, helping merchants build sustainable profitability. Whether it's updated incentive policies or various exclusive benefits, they provide more resource support for merchants to expand into new markets. Essentially, they are clearing obstacles on the long-term development path for merchants, allowing them to focus more on product research and development, service improvement, and brand building rather than getting stuck in short-term operational difficulties.

 

For merchants who have been closely following the European e-commerce market, an undeniable trend is the rapid rise of content-based e-commerce.

The "2024 European E-commerce Market Report" released by Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce in the first half of this year shows that TikTok is no longer just an entertainment platform but has also become a shopping gateway. The sales of content e-commerce in Europe reached 69.94 billion US dollars in 2024 and are expected to increase to 108.5 billion US dollars by 2028. Platforms like TikTok Shop allow users to purchase goods directly while watching videos. The way people discover and purchase goods is undergoing a fundamental transformation.

The rapid rise of content-based e-commerce in Europe presents new opportunities for Chinese brands.

 

 

And at present, the most crucial breakthrough point to seize this opportunity lies in the Black Friday in the second half of the year.

The head of Vibra Verse stated that their Black Friday goal for this year is to achieve a £10 million output in the UK market, increase the overall performance in Europe, and aim for a $20 million global target. This not only reflects their expectations and confidence in growth during the important promotional period in the European market, but also indicates their long-term optimism towards the cross-border e-commerce market in Europe.

Black Friday is not only a peak sales period but also a crucial juncture for brands to boost their influence and acquire high-quality users.

 

According to a report by Yicai Research, compared with the US market which is highly sensitive to promotions, the European market adopts a more rational promotion model. Consumers in Europe place greater emphasis on brand trust and after-sales service. Brand stories, product quality and environmental protection concepts have become important factors in attracting consumers. Therefore, the key to seizing the Black Friday opportunity in Europe is to leverage the Black Friday strategies of TikTok Shop, capitalize on the advantages of content-based e-commerce, and expand brand influence and product sales through collaborations with influencers.

 

The head of Vibra Verse believes that for merchants who want to expand into new European markets, major promotional events like Black Friday are golden opportunities to increase sales and boost volume. Merchants must closely align with the platform's promotions: "Merchants won't miss this chance for growth. They will proactively request to participate, and sometimes even be more enthusiastic than the platform itself."

 

To leverage the advantages of content e-commerce in the European market and tell the brand story well, merchants need to plan and layout in advance and fully utilize the golden promotion node of Black Friday. Merchants should make full use of the platform advantages of TikTok Shop and stimulate consumers' purchasing desire through interesting content. Plan marketing activities in advance, including social media advertising, email marketing, and influencer cooperation. Through precise influencer cooperation and effective marketing strategies, achieve performance growth during Black Friday.

In terms of merchant rights and interests, TikTok Shop has launched a variety of incentive policies for new cross-border merchants in the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France. Whether they are new merchants or returning ones, they can all receive more support to help them better seize the opportunities.

 

However, merchants cannot rely solely on platform policies; they must also enhance their competitiveness from the perspective of their own operations. They need to optimize user experience and logistics services, gain a deep understanding of the shopping preferences of European consumers during Black Friday, and formulate precise marketing strategies. At the same time, they should offer comprehensive after-sales services, including multi-channel customer support, and closely monitor platform rules to ensure that all marketing activities are compliant.

 

With the new policies and upgraded benefits of TikTok Shop in the European market, Chinese cross-border e-commerce brands and sellers who can make in-depth layouts in the second half of the year have the potential to transform the platform opportunities into long-term commercial value for their brands. This not only brings initial breakthroughs and sustained growth for the brands in the European market but also enables them to seize the initiative in the increasingly fierce competition among cross-border sellers in Europe in the future.