YIWU, Zhejiang, July 28, 2026 - The Yiwu Municipal Market Development Committee released H1 2026 data showing total e-commerce transaction volume of 324.093 billion yuan, up 9.62% year-on-year. The standout figure was cross-border e-commerce, which reached 100.084 billion yuan, an 11.25% increase, marking the first time half-year cross-border volume crossed the 100 billion yuan threshold.
The surge was fueled by multiple factors: record-breaking heat across Europe, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia drove explosive demand for cooling products including handheld fans, cooling textiles, and portable refrigeration devices. Overseas holiday and festival merchandise orders also spiked, with Christmas procurement season shifting earlier to April-July. TikTok-driven viral products continued to create new demand channels for Yiwu merchants.
However, the industry also faces challenges: on July 1, 2026, the EU abolished its 150-euro duty-free de minimis threshold, imposing 3-euro temporary tariffs per item. This directly impacts Yiwu's traditional direct-mail small-package model. In response, many Yiwu merchants are shifting to overseas warehousing, localized distribution, and higher-value product strategies to maintain competitiveness in the European market.
Source: Yiwu Market Development Committee, Zhihu, Baijiahao, 2026
