This report integrates the industry dynamics of the cross-border e-commerce circle from April 28, 2026 to May 4, 2026, and brings you a week of hot information.
The situation in the Middle East has disrupted logistics, and Yiwu’s exports to the Middle East are in trouble
The conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has made the passage of the Strait of Hormuz unstable, and ship attacks have occurred frequently, which has put the foreign trade logistics in the Middle East under tremendous pressure.
Currently, more than 50 container ships are stranded at sea, and surrounding alternative ports have become saturated.
The diversion of ships has led to a significant increase in logistics costs, which have nearly tripled. The freight for a single container has soared to more than 10,000 US dollars.
Affected by rising freight costs and a sharp decline in the number of merchants, Yiwu’s exports to the Middle East did not show strong sales during the peak season.
The order volume of some merchants has been reduced by half, and the value of small commodities is almost the same as the shipping cost.
Coupled with the pressure of demurrage fees, many merchants are facing losses and have to move to the South American market to maintain capital-guaranteed operations.
The U.S. Section 301 investigation hearing has been launched, and 60 countries may face new tariffs of 10% – 25%
From April 28 to 29, the Office of the United States Trade Representative held a public hearing on the Section 301 investigation, involving 60 trading partners including China, Europe, Japan, and South Korea, covering more than 99% of the United States’ imports.
The United States accuses relevant parties of failing to effectively prohibit the import of forced labor products.
Market predictions are that after the current temporary tariffs expire in July, the United States will impose additional tariffs of 10% – 25%, and the tax rates on some products will be higher.
The implementation of this policy will have an impact on the global supply chain, which may lead to early shipments, which will lead to fluctuations in shipping spaces and freight rates, posing challenges to the business strategies of many import and export companies.
European cross-border e-commerce has entered a mature stage, and profitable operations have become the core focus
Data show that a quarter of the European e-commerce market already belongs to the cross-border track.
Cross-border online sales in Europe excluding tourism will reach 108 billion euros in 2025, recovering after a slight decline in 2024.
After a period of rapid expansion, European cross-border e-commerce has officially entered a mature development cycle, and the industry’s development logic has changed.
We no longer pursue extensive growth, but focus on operational efficiency, profitability and supply chain risk resistance to achieve steady and quality-improved development.
Vietnam’s Q1 e-commerce consumption reached US$5.7 billion
In the first quarter of 2026, the total consumption of Vietnam’s four major e-commerce platforms reached 148.60 trillion VND (approximately US$5.7 billion), a year-on-year increase of 46.6%.
Product sales and the number of sellers have achieved steady growth.
Beauty, women’s fashion, and home life are the main consumer categories, and mid- to low-priced goods are still the mainstay of consumption.
Among them, the children’s clothing category performed brilliantly, with TikTok Shop’s growth rate reaching 108%, surpassing Shopee.
Local brands dominate the market, while Chinese brands have also achieved parallel growth.
Consumer demand extends to more subdivided categories and more price bands, and market competition and consumption upgrades coexist.
Russian online shopping experience has declined, and nearly 20% of users have turned to offline shopping
A survey of more than 2,200 residents of Russian big cities conducted by edna showed that 23% of the respondents believed that the troubles encountered in online shopping have increased recently, and 21% of people have reduced online shopping and returned to offline shopping.
The main problems encountered by users include order cancellations, delivery delays, difficulties in sales and exchanges, platform technical failures, etc. Poor customer service communication has also been widely criticized.
More than 60% of consumers resent merchants’ silence and shirk of responsibility, and 80% of users are unwilling to tolerate service problems. They also expect merchants to transparently inform them of the progress of the problem and the time limit for resolution.
