A fresh analysis of the Yiwu Index shows the emotional-consumption wave opening new space for the "world's supermarket". Backed by Yiwu's "front shop, back factory" model, merchants can move from design drafts and sampling to mass production quickly — as during the 2026 Spring Festival, when non-heritage Song-brocade zodiac blessing bag charms became seasonal best-sellers.
To tackle the pain point of difficult and expensive IP licensing for small merchants, Yiwu Commodity City Group set up an IP Service Center at the Global Digital Trade Center in May 2026, integrating production and sales licensing for more than 2,000 global IPs including Disney and Pokémon through "centralized procurement, global sharing", with a "use first, revenue share later" mechanism open to small and medium merchants. So far, more than 10 merchants have obtained authorizations for over 20 IPs, giving them a path from low-price OEM to original premium and cultural export.
Overseas demand is heating up in step: Yiwu Customs statistics show the city's 2025 toy exports reached 25.63 billion yuan, up 20.1%, with self-developed "Middle East style" fragrances selling well across the Middle East, South America and Africa. A Yiwu alloy accessory sold on TikTok as "mystery jewelry" at about 400 yuan per can has generated cumulative GMV exceeding $969,300. On social platforms, Instagram posts tagged "Bagcharm" exceed 900,000 and TikTok "Fidget toys" views have topped 35 billion — overseas young consumers are also paying for emotional value.
Source: Ebrun / Yiwu Customs
