YouTube adjusts Shorts recommendations to prioritize original content, Meta makes static-creative-to-video generation available to all, and TikTok’s Shopping Assistant, Buy Direct, and Lead Agent are currently in eligibility testing.
Two women founded yoga mat brand Stakt in 2021 with $50,000. The brand generated about $5 million in revenue in 2024, and 2025 revenue was projected to double to $10 million. Its flagship product, The Stakt Mat, is a foldable yoga mat priced at $94. Its “one mat, multiple uses” design folds into a support block and targets at-home fitness. It commands a premium of about 23 times, supported by third-party recognition such as TIME’s Best Inventions of the Year and Oprah’s Favorite Things.
More sellers in the cross-border e-commerce sector are shifting from selling products to services such as store management, training and incubation, hands-on coaching, and business registration assistance. Managing European local stores and pairing local accounts with teams operating from China have become common models. One seller in the Russian market recruits Ozon apprentices, charging an incubation fee of RMB 6,980; workspace is free for the first month and costs RMB 200 per month thereafter. Industry insiders say course sellers are not responsible for results, making this an easy way to earn money. But some exploitative providers show off earnings while omitting the risks of advancing funds and having stores shut down.
TikTok Shop Spain announced in late September 2026 that its business had grown by about 150% over the past 12 months. NielsenIQ measured its penetration among online shoppers in Spain at 19%. The purchase rate was 40% among Gen X consumers, higher than the 30% among millennials and 23% among Gen Z consumers. Creators and affiliates accounted for 70.2% of sales across the platform. The standard platform commission is 9%, while commissions for recommended creators promoting premium products under local management range from 15% to 20%. Together, these fees amount to about a quarter to 30% of the sale price, before sample seeding, paid traffic, logistics, and returns costs.
The Malaysian government plans to submit the E-Commerce Bill during the next parliamentary session, strengthening oversight of online platforms and sellers, with a focus on consumer protection, the interests of local small and medium-sized businesses, and platform responsibilities. Since October 1, eligible e-commerce platforms in Indonesia have withheld PPh 22 income tax on transaction income earned by certain sellers. On October 10, the Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN) called for preventing the added costs from being passed on to consumers through price increases and for clearly displaying all fees before checkout.
Aeroband, a brand under Shenzhen Daile Somatosensory Technology, breaks down barriers to learning instruments with motion-sensing drumsticks and a smart guitar with silicone strings. Overseas sales account for about half of its sales, with the main markets being the United States and EU countries such as Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. In 2019, PocketDrum raised more than $470,000 on Indiegogo, while the smart guitar attracted 739 backers on Kickstarter and raised more than HK$2 million. The companion app keeps users engaged with lessons, free play, and game modes. The brand opened its first brick-and-mortar store at Shenzhen’s Qianhai Yifang City on August 1 this year.
TikTok Shop data show that its business in Spain grew by about 150% over the past 12 months, and that the platform reached 19% penetration, meaning about 19 out of every 100 online consumers in Spain have shopped on TikTok Shop.