What did the TikTok Europe E-commerce Conference discuss? Eight new country sites, commission reductions, and ACE strategy all explained in one article.

In June 2026, TikTok Shop reached a critical milestone in the European market, with sites in eight countries—Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Austria, Greece, Portugal, and Hungary—opening simultaneously. Combined with the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, which were already established, TikTok Shop's e-commerce footprint in Europe now covers 87% of the total EU market.

At the TikTok Shop European E-commerce Summit held on June 23, the platform released a wealth of information. Based on the conference content, we have summarized the issues that cross-border sellers are most concerned about: How is the European market really doing? What opportunities do the eight new sites offer? What support is the platform providing? Is it too late to enter now?

Image source: TikTok Shop

European E-commerce Market: Large Scale, But Far from Saturated

Let's look at the overall data first. The total size of the European (including the UK) e-commerce market is currently about $700 billion, with the EU market contributing 75%, approximately $530 billion. The countries where TikTok Shop has launched e-commerce in Europe (including the UK) collectively cover 87% of the total European e-commerce market size, and within the EU, this proportion reaches 82%.

A notable number: The e-commerce penetration rate in Germany, Italy, France, and Spain is only 13%, less than half of that in the UK. In other words, the e-commerce development level in these four countries is close to 'the UK ten years ago,' with at least double the room for growth. And the eight newly opened countries are growing faster than the UK and the EU4—Poland and Portugal's growth rates have exceeded 10%, roughly three times that of the UK market.

Wang Yufan, head of TikTok Shop's new European market, said at the summit: 'The timing for the European market has arrived. For Chinese merchants, the earlier you enter, the more you can benefit from the entire dividend period as penetration rises from 15% to 30%.'

Image source: TikTok Shop

What Opportunities Do the Eight New Countries Bring?

The summit summarized the opportunities in the eight new countries into four points:

First, population penetration is already in place. TikTok's population penetration in the eight new countries ranges from about 25% to 40%, with the Netherlands at 40%, Poland at 38%, and Belgium at 36%, reaching about 90% of mature market levels. Merchants do not need to start cultivating users from scratch; there are already enough people scrolling on the platform.

Second, the market share is fragmented, with no monopolists. The e-commerce market structure in these eight countries is relatively fragmented, with no dominant platform or merchant. Especially in some Central European countries with smaller populations and scattered languages, local supply is limited, and consumers have a high acceptance of cross-border goods. For Chinese merchants, this means it is easier to find entry points.

Third, content e-commerce is still a blank. These eight countries currently lack mature content-driven e-commerce platforms. Although there are some scattered Facebook live streams, no platform fully supports the entire chain from seeding to transaction. Early-entering merchants have the opportunity to establish a creator and live-stream ecosystem first.

Fourth, no need to register and build warehouses separately. The platform has already deployed the underlying infrastructure, allowing one store and one warehouse to cover pan-European sales. Merchants only need to focus on products and content operations to directly reach consumers in the eight countries.

How to Choose Among the Eight Countries? Each Has Its Own Characteristics

The summit categorized the eight countries as follows:

Poland is the first stop for expansion into Eastern Europe. With a population of nearly 40 million and an e-commerce scale of about $44 billion, it is the fifth-largest economy after the EU4. More importantly, Poland is a logistics hub in Europe, bordering Germany, with an 8-hour truck drive covering all major German cities. Poland also has a special policy—offline retail is closed on Sundays, creating a unique exposure window for online content consumption.

The Netherlands and Belgium are brand and high-profit markets. Their per capita GDP is even higher than Germany's. The Netherlands is the first choice for many brands to set up their European headquarters, with active local creators, strong purchasing power, and high acceptance of both new and old brands.

The remaining five countries (Czech Republic, Austria, Greece, Portugal, Hungary) are long-tail cross-border blue oceans. Their individual market sizes are small, local supply is limited, and they rely more on cross-border goods to meet demand. Among them, Portugal and Greece have a relatively high number of creators, which is favorable for content conversion.

Image source: Internet

Is the Entry Barrier High?

There are two paths for merchant entry. If the entity is based in Mainland China or Hong Kong, they can enter through the cross-border POP model. Merchants already operating in Germany, Italy, France, and Spain can open the eight new country sites with one click without re-registering. If the entity is based in any EU country, they can enter through the European local store model.

The platform also launched the 'Sell Across Europe with One Click' feature—merchants only need to register in one market to simultaneously open 12 EU sites, with products, inventory, and pricing automatically synchronized. The previous process of opening stores country by country and repeatedly submitting qualifications has been compressed into a one-stop operation.

What support is the platform providing?

Regarding commissions, new merchants joining existing European sites can have commissions reduced from 9% to 4% within 60 days; joining 8 new sites, commissions reduced from 9% to 2% within 90 days. For live streaming, live streaming in new European markets can enjoy 0% commission. After completing novice tasks such as sending samples and running ads, you can also receive coupons and advertising credits. New merchants can enjoy a 25% coupon discount on their first order.

The platform team has also made three upgrades.

First is 'Closer': established a dedicated liaison mechanism, ensuring issues are handled and processes are followed.

Second is 'More Professional': the team has deeper knowledge of the European market and industry, and can provide professional advice on product selection, localization, VAT, logistics, and other aspects.

Third is 'Deeper': provide end-to-end support from onboarding to scaling, offering 1-on-1 diagnostics and training.

Image source: TikTok Shop

How to succeed in the European market?

The conference proposed the ACE business methodology.

A - Assortment (Good Products): The European market has high compliance barriers; there is no need to list a large number of products. First, select 1-3 main SKUs to validate the model.

C - Content (Good Content): For the European market, content should be relatable but not copied directly. Use local context, real scenarios, and influencer endorsements to lower the understanding barrier.

E - Empowerment (Good Marketing): Coordinate the platform's marketing activities with daily operations.

Merchant growth is divided into three phases. Cold start period (0-60 days after store opening): Focus on the main promoted products to achieve the first round of sales, and verify the product, content, and fulfillment chain. Scaling period: Coordinate influencer content, merchant content, and marketplace search to scale up. Operating period: Replicate the validated methodology to more markets and establish a stable operational rhythm.

Image source: Internet

What are the opportunity categories in autumn and winter?

The conference also mentioned some growth opportunities for autumn and winter. Europe has high energy costs, so localized heating is a necessity. For example, categories like fan heaters, hand warmers, electric blankets, and fireplaces are worth attention.

In addition, stylized furniture, smart holiday light strings, portable energy storage, and Christmas-related products also have good growth potential. It is recommended that merchants plan categories, inventory, and content materials in advance around autumn and winter scenarios.

Several points worth noting

First, the European market is characterized by high average order value (AOV) and high profit margins. The average AOV for the Germany, Italy, France, and Spain sites is about $30, with the 3C category close to $80, and some subcategories of small home appliances exceeding $100. For the same order, you can achieve richer gross profit in Europe.

Second, influencer content is key. Data shows that over 90% of GMV in TikTok Shop Europe is contributed by products whose SPUs account for only 3.5%. Behind these hot products, 90% of the content comes from influencers. The conference suggests merchants shift from 'casting a wide net' to targeted breakthroughs and deeply engage with top influencers.

Third, compliance is the bottom line. Compliance requirements such as VAT, EPR, and GPSR in the European market are becoming increasingly strict. The platform has also drawn several red lines: shipping from virtual warehouses, pirated or recorded live streams, false advertising, mismatched goods, and IP infringement—these must be avoided. Crossing these lines can result in traffic restrictions or even store closure. It is recommended to keep the store experience score above 4 (out of 5) and the health score above 200 (out of 1000).

Fourth, logistics timeliness directly affects user experience. The platform recommends controlling delivery time within two working days. Currently, there are three main fulfillment methods: FBT (official warehouse), TikTok Shipping (official shipping), and merchant self-shipping.

Image source: Internet

Overall, TikTok Shop's expansion to eight European countries provides an e-commerce market covering 13 countries with over 200 million monthly active users. The platform has made significant preparations in traffic, infrastructure, and policies, but the real competition has just begun. The head of TikTok Shop's EU emerging markets stated that European e-commerce is still in a phase of rapid growth. The earlier Chinese merchants enter, the greater the growth dividends they can capture.

For cross-border sellers who are on the fence, this may be an opportunity window that requires serious evaluation.