US trade tariffs, announced, postponed and finally imposed by the president They represent a problem for the European Union, but also an opportunity. Heads of state and top representatives of EU institutions have reiterated this in recent months, convinced that the closure of American markets could foster new opportunities for development and expansion into other continents. A similar argument, however, must have been made by managers of major Chinese e-commerce companies, who now see Europe as a new frontier for development, partly due to the US president's decision to introduce a tax on parcels arriving from abroad for products worth less than €800. Currently, this tax does not exist in Europe for items worth less than €150. For this reason, e-commerce giants like Temu and Shein have decided to focus on, and invest billions in, the Old Continent. A few figures are enough to understand the extent to which these multinationals can influence our market.

Shein, a leading clothing retailer, was founded in Nanjing in 2008 and currently operates in over 100 countries, with a turnover expected to be around €9 billion in 2023, and over 10 employees. These results are also driven by advertising campaigns targeting younger consumers, especially through other platforms such as TikTok, also Chinese. Temu, a company that connects customers and manufacturers to offer a diverse selection of items on its website, boasts even higher revenues. The group is expected to generate over €15 billion in 2024 (although some analysts estimate as much as €50 billion), with significant growth (+24%) compared to the previous year. This is primarily due to the European market, as data shows that active users in the United States for both platforms dropped dramatically between March and June of this year (-50% for Temu and -12% for Shein). This is largely due to US tariffs.

A completely opposite trend to that seen in Europe. According to Sensor Tower, a leading web portal data analytics site, the number of people using the Temu app in June increased by 76 percent in France, 71 percent in Spain, and 64 percent in Germany. Shein's growth was more modest, recording growth between 13 and 20 percent across various European countries. This is a sign of how the two online market leaders, along with others, many of them Chinese, have decided to "invade" Europe. Suffice it to say that Shein accounts for 17,5 percent of net online sales in Italy. This percentage rises to a staggering 30,5 percent in Portugal. These figures have allowed the company to outperform European giants like Zara in terms of revenue. Temu is no exception, having reached over 2024 million users in Italy in 14, making it the country's fourth-largest e-commerce platform. Also in 2024, according to Sensor Tower, Temu would be the most downloaded shopping app in the world.

This global expansion has, over time, raised many doubts about the security of these "at-home" shopping apps. Following a major data breach in 2018, Shein faced criticism regarding its accessibility and data protection. Shein has also faced doubts about its security levels from national institutions and third-party review bodies. For all these reasons, and given the widespread diffusion of e-commerce platforms, the European Union is evaluating measures to address the situation and prevent a veritable invasion of Chinese goods. As a first countermeasure, the Commission is considering eliminating the duty exemption for packages valued under €150, following the path outlined by the Trump administration. This is especially true because, the EU emphasizes in a recent report on the matter, over 2024 billion low-cost items were imported in 4,6 alone. That's approximately 12 million packages per day.

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