Starting from April 13, the Chinese B2B cross-border e-commerce platform DHgate suddenly became extremely popular in the United States. Historical data from the mobile data research firm Sensor Tower shows that on April 12, DHgate was ranked 30th on the list of free shopping apps in the US Apple App Store. One day later, it climbed to the first place and has remained at the top ever since. On the list of free shopping apps in the US Google Play Store, DHgate also rose from 45 on April 12 to 9 on April 15.
DHgate was founded in 2004. It covers 225 countries and regions globally, offering more than 100 logistics routes and 14 overseas warehouses. It has set up global business offices in North America, Latin America, Europe and other regions. In 2022, DHgate announced its official upgrade to the DHgate Group, with the centralized cross-border e-commerce platform DHgate and the decentralized social e-commerce platform MyyShop as its core business engines.
With the adjustment of tariff policies, many Chinese suppliers and manufacturers have started making TikTok videos to explain to consumers how the global luxury goods market operates. For example, suppliers can directly introduce the OEM model through videos, stating that European well-known clothing and accessories are produced in China and that "high-quality products" can be purchased directly through Chinese cross-border e-commerce websites. Many videos also directly provide website links and contact information, guiding viewers to place orders directly with suppliers. These videos have greatly increased the popularity of the cross-border e-commerce application DHgate.
Data from Appfigures shows that on April 12, the global downloads of DHgate on the Apple and Google app stores reached 35,400 times, a 56% increase compared to the 30-day average. Among them, the US market contributed 17,300 downloads, a 98% surge compared to the 30-day average. By April 13th, the downloads of DHgate on the iOS platform alone reached 117,500 times, a 732% explosion compared to the 30-day average. Among them, the downloads in the US market reached 65,100 times, a staggering 940% increase.