Despite recent signals from China and the US about preparations to begin negotiations, foreign media reports indicate that Chinese fast fashion e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu have significantly increased their digital advertising spending in Europe. This suggests that these platforms are turning their focus to the European market amid the US tariff war. The key markets for this wave of advertising cover France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
According to a report on the 6th by foreign media, market intelligence company Sensor Tower data shows that Shein and Temu ramped up their digital advertising spending in Europe in April. Temu’s advertising spending in the UK grew by 20% year-on-year, while it surged by 115% in France. Shein’s advertising investment grew by 45% year-on-year in France and doubled in the UK with a 100% increase.
Sensor Tower reports that after Shein and Temu increased their advertising investment in the UK, app download volumes rose significantly, with Shein increasing by 25% month-on-month and Temu's downloads doubling. However, despite the growth in advertising and download volume, the daily active users of both apps only saw a slight increase, with Shein’s daily active users in the UK growing by 5% and Temu’s by 10%.
The increase in advertising investment in Europe by Shein and Temu includes markets in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. This coincides with both companies responding to US President Trump's ban on