The Chinese DHGATE market app, which is now the number 2 app, is not the only one that is surprisingly benefiting from President Trump’s tariffs for US imports from China. Another Chinese shopping app, Taobao, has now entered the Top 5 since Thursday.
American customers began gathering in these applications over the past few days, in the wake of numerous Tiktok videos from Chinese manufacturers explaining how much luxury goods market operates outside China. Videos claim that many products from the highest luxury brands – such as clothing, handbags, shoes and accessories – are actually originally made in China. The articles are then sent to the brand’s birthplace, such as Italy or France, where they have been repaired after the brand labeling is applied, according to these videos.
Other US and Chinese creators then showed e -commerce applications such as DHGATE and Taobao as a way to buy directly from Chinese manufacturers, escaping the large marking of luxury brands.
Already wary of rising prices of popular applications such as Shein and Temu, US consumers soon began downloading these alternatives.
In April, Taobao’s estimated downloads reached approximately 185,000 – an increase of 514% by 30,000 that saw during the same period last month, according to new data from the Appfigules Intelligence Program. As with dhgates, Taobao’s downloads increased over the last weekend, with increased 5.7x installations between last Friday and Saturday, the firm said.
On Saturday, Taobao entered the best overall ranks in iOS application store (excluding games) at no. 461. The crop was no. 188. And by Thursday, she arrived at no. 5.
The change in degrees represents the increase in application installations, as well as their speed and other factors.
Taobao also increased from the purchase application No. 49 on Saturday to become the number 2 app, Topping Walmart, Amazon, Shein and Temu. (The Chinese app Alibaba.com is also climbing the tables here, now the No 6 purchase application in the American App Store.)
In particular, Appfigures says that Taobao has never been on the main general tables in the American App Store according to its data, which goes back on January 1, 2017.
While changing purchases apps will not actually save us consumers from tariffs in Chinese imports, buyers probably think that direct acquisition from manufacturers can potentially reduce the overall cost of their purchases. For other customers, it is simply a way to look for luxury -style goods or dupes at a better price.
Of course, it is still a case of “buyer be careful” in any of these market sites, where quality can be hit or lost. Users are encouraged to read the assessments of individual sellers and see photos of other buyers of items before making purchases.
