Cross-border Big Search | Tariffs and AI are reshaping US e-commerce, with local platforms emerging as the biggest winners.

Wintranx, January 8, 2026, 20:30, Shanghai

Tariffs and AI are reshaping US e-commerce, with domestic platforms emerging as the biggest winners.

A recent joint report by Statista and Semrush indicates that tariff policies and AI applications are reshaping the US e-commerce market in 2025. The market is projected to reach $1.17 trillion, but high tariffs may slow growth.

Overseas platforms were impacted, with Shein and Temu experiencing significant declines in traffic and user numbers. Domestic platforms like Amazon maintained their top position, while Target and DoorDash saw growth. 61% of US e-commerce companies have adopted AI, and related tools have seen a 35-fold increase in traffic. The report predicts that the US digital retail market will reach $1.5 trillion by 2030.

New VAT regulations in 2026: Sales volume of 5 million RMB will instantly upgrade you to a general taxpayer.

Effective January 1, 2026, the Value-Added Tax Law of the People’s Republic of China will be implemented, and the previous registration method for general taxpayers will be abolished. The new regulations stipulate that companies with annual sales exceeding 5 million yuan will be immediately upgraded to general taxpayers, with no grace period. However, companies exceeding the threshold before the end of 2025 can postpone the upgrade until January 2026. For cross-border businesses, if they upgrade to general taxpayers but are unable to obtain compliant input invoices, their tax burden may jump from 1%/3% to 13%, severely squeezing their profits.

Amazon adjusts its FBM refund policy, effective January 26.

Starting January 26, 2026, Amazon will adjust its refund policy for seller-fulfilled orders. The core changes include extending the refund processing time from 2 business days to 4 calendar days (including weekends and holidays). However, if the refund is not processed within the time limit, the system will automatically issue a refund and the seller will lose eligibility for SAFE-T protection claims (except in special circumstances such as lost returned goods).

The new rule only applies to orders that do not use the Amazon Prepaid Returns label, while the RFS service remains unchanged.

Amazon’s Returns Management Upgraded in All Aspects

Amazon has comprehensively upgraded its return management, adding a “refund without return” feature for low-value (<$75) FBA items in the US and a “partial refund” feature for US and European marketplaces. Sellers can customize the applicable scope and percentage. The policy has also been optimized, allowing for tiered resale of returned goods (covering multiple marketplaces and product categories, recovering 20%-50% of costs), and supporting return assessment settings. Furthermore, it integrates FBA donation services, leveraging technology to prevent abuse and data analysis to reduce return rates, helping sellers reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Walmart recommends that sellers adopt a “reserved items” policy for certain products.

Walmart Marketplace recommends sellers adopt “Keep Items” and “Partially Keep Items” policies for certain products due to the high cost of returns, such as return shipping costs for low-value items or returns exceeding the item’s value. The former provides a full refund for unsellable or high-cost items, while the latter provides a partial refund for items with minor issues; both are subject to anti-fraud AI verification.

Walmart also offers returns processing services for sellers, allowing buyers to return items by mail or in-store, covering 90% of the U.S. population.

Source: Walmart Global E-commerce

Shopee has updated its terms of service for cross-border sellers, requiring confirmation and agreement by January 11.

Shopee updated its “Cross-border Seller Service Terms” on the same day. Sellers should pay close attention to the bolded sections, such as limitations of liability and applicable law. Any questions can be submitted via the relevant link. If a seller does not submit written feedback before January 11th and continues to use the platform’s services, they will be deemed to have agreed to the updated terms.

Shopee and TikTok: Shop accounts for 98% of Vietnam’s e-commerce market.

According to a Q&Me report, Shopee and TikTok Shop together account for 98% of the Vietnamese e-commerce market, forming a duopoly (Shopee 52%, TikTok Shop 46%).

Both emphasize low prices, but their positioning differs: TikTok Shop’s orders are concentrated in the low-priced range below 350,000 VND, mainly focusing on fashion-related impulse purchases; Shopee offers a wider range of products, with strong performance in the mid-to-high-priced segment, becoming the top choice for high-value goods priced between 3.5 million and 10 million+ VND. In the beauty category, both generate comparable revenue, highlighting the vitality of the Vietnamese e-commerce market.

Wildberries platform adds “Add to Favorites” indicator

The Wildberries platform has added an “Add to Favorites” metric to its statistics on alternative product codes. This metric will display all favorites records, including historical data, and will be incorporated into the calculation of key data such as “Add to Cart,” “Cart Conversion Rate,” “Number of Items Ordered,” and “Order Conversion Rate.”

This update is available to all sellers, regardless of whether they have subscribed to the “Jam” service. Users can download the XLSX or CSV data export file containing the new metrics from the service page. The platform continuously optimizes data dimensions to provide sellers with more comprehensive product performance analysis support.

Wintranx

Wintranx provides a full-stack solution and service for cross-border e-commerce sellers, acquiring banks, and payment institutions, encompassing cross-border payments, risk management, and financial services. Our mission is “to help merchants successfully convert every transaction,” supporting the global business growth of Chinese cross-border enterprises.

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