Opening the store takes weeks. Growing it takes years. We do the years.

More than people expect. Daily store updates, banner swaps, promotion setup, inventory sync with the bonded warehouse, Mandarin customer service, order checks, returns, review moderation, livestream prep. A flagship store left untouched for a week loses ranking. Leave it untouched for a month and it loses category position. The work is steady, not glamorous, and it is what separates the stores that grow from the ones that just exist.

Two to four weeks for an audit and clean handover. Longer if the previous partner is uncooperative (it happens). We pull everything first: backend access, media accounts, customer data, content library, supplier contracts. Then we map what is missing. We run two weeks in parallel before cutting over, so you do not lose a campaign window in the transition.

Yes. Native Mandarin team working platform hours (9 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time, longer during 11.11). Tmall Global, JD Worldwide and Douyin EC Global all measure response time and bake it into your store score. We hold response time under 30 seconds and we keep ratings above platform average.

We coordinate with your existing bonded warehouse provider, or we introduce one if you do not have one. Most Tmall Global brands run through Cainiao bonded warehouses. For JD Worldwide, JD’s own bonded network is usually the faster route. We track stock, file customs, handle returns and chase delays. Logistics is not glamorous. It is just the difference between a 4.9 store rating and a 4.5.

We flag it before it happens. Stock reorder triggers are set in the dashboard. If you cannot replenish in time, we shift the campaign weight to a sister SKU, redirect paid media, and protect the store rating with a clear holding page. The worst outcome is a silent stockout, and we make sure that does not happen.

Returns are managed by the bonded warehouse partner under our coordination. Return rates typically run 8% to 15% in beauty, 15% to 25% in fashion, under 5% in F&B and supplements. Fake reviews and review-bombing attacks happen, especially after a viral moment. We monitor daily, file removal requests with the platform, and seed genuine customer reviews through our KOC network.

Depends on category, brand maturity and content readiness. Tmall Global is the default for beauty, supplements, F&B and lifestyle, where brand trust matters most. JD Worldwide wins on electronics, home, male-skewing categories and consumables that benefit from JD logistics. Douyin EC Global is the right call when content is your strength and you can produce livestream every day. We pick the right one in Phase one, not by default.

Yes, and most brands at scale do. Tmall Global usually carries the brand flagship. JD Worldwide picks up logistics-sensitive categories and male shoppers. Be ready for double the operations workload, double the campaign cadence, and a clear pricing strategy across both. We run multi-platform accounts every day.

Growing fast. Douyin closed the gap on Tmall Global across beauty, F&B and lifestyle in 2025 and 2026, because livestream is the format where conversion sits highest. The catch is content production: daily livestream, weekly creative refresh, constant short video. Brands without content discipline burn money on Douyin. Brands that have it, win.

Discovery, not transaction. RED is where Chinese consumers research before buying on Tmall Global, JD Worldwide or Douyin EC Global. We use it for KOC seeding, brand reputation and demand creation. In-app commerce on RED is still small for cross-border. The standard play is RED for influence and Tmall Global or JD Worldwide for conversion, though some categories now flip that order.

Depends on category, starting point and budget. New flagship stores on Tmall Global or JD Worldwide typically land their first full year between $400,000 and the low single-digit millions in GMV, depending on media spend and category. Relaunched stores with an existing baseline tend to grow 30% to 80% in the first twelve months under our operations. Anyone quoting a single number without seeing your category and budget is selling, not advising.

First metrics shift in week six (conversion, traffic mix, content engagement). Revenue shifts usually land in month three or four. The first big campaign window after takeover (618, 99, 11.11) is where the real number prints. Cross-border in China rewards patience, not impatience.

Live dashboard you can open at any time (traffic, GMV, ROAS, conversion, repeat rate). A weekly written summary covering what moved and what is next. A monthly senior business review on video with Cyril or Liyan. A quarterly planning session. No PDFs that arrive a week late. We share the same dashboard we use internally.

We tell you before we sign. Some products do not qualify (restricted categories, certain medical claims, formulation issues). If yours is one, we say so in week one, and we either help you reposition or recommend a different route to market. We do not run stores for products that will get pulled six months in.

We handle them. A penalty notice on Tmall Global or JD Worldwide has to be answered within 24 to 72 hours depending on severity. Our ops team handles the response, the rectification plan and the platform negotiation. Penalties happen, even at top brands. What matters is how fast you recover.

Twelve months for the TP model. Twenty-four months for the distributor model. Cross-border stores need time to ramp, especially through the first major campaign window, and an inventory commitment needs a longer runway to recover. Shorter engagements are possible for project-based work (618 sprint, 11.11 sprint, launch sprint) but not for always-on operations. Anyone promising always-on results inside three months is signing you up for a poor outcome.

Depends entirely on the model. In the TP model, you own everything: store license, customer data, content library, media accounts and supplier contracts. We run operations under your brand and your assets. Nothing transfers at exit because nothing was ever ours. In the distributor model, we own everything: the store, the inventory, the customer data, the content and the media accounts. You sell to us, we sell to the consumer. Brand IP and trademarks stay yours, naturally, but the China commercial infrastructure sits on our side.

A dedicated senior account director, a store operations lead, a content producer and a media buyer. They are full-time on China cross-border, not splitting their hours across five clients. Cyril or Liyan join the monthly review and step in on commercial calls.

Native team based in mainland China, working platform hours. Senior leadership splits time between China, Hong Kong and Paris. You get one inbox, one Slack channel, and a working day that overlaps with both China and Europe.

Yes. We slot into existing brand frameworks and we share what we learn back to your global team. We do not try to wedge ourselves into work that is already covered elsewhere. The brief from week one is to run the China stores, not to redo the global plan.