Daily sales exceeded 10,000 orders! A large number of semi-hosted sellers have reaped the benefits of explosive sales on AliExpress

The confidence of semi-managed sellers has increased significantly recently .

At the beginning of 2024, AliExpress officially launched semi-hosting, which attracted many e-commerce platforms to follow suit. Compared with full hosting, this model gives merchants more flexible operating space and attracts a large number of high-quality merchants with operational capabilities. 100 days after the official launch , AliExpress semi-hosting entered a stage of rapid development.

20,000 merchants doubled their growth, and AliExpress semi-hosting ushered in an explosive period

In the cross-border e-commerce industry, "seizing the first opportunity" is of great significance to sellers, which means more opportunities and orders. The semi-hosting model attracted a lot of attention when it was launched at the beginning of the year, and it is still a hot topic discussed in major cross-border seller groups. The high attention is inseparable from the rapid growth of semi-hosting sellers.

According to relevant data from AliExpress, last month alone, 20,000 semi-hosted merchants doubled their orders. The starting gun for AliExpress's semi-hosted service in 2024 was fired first, and this is the latest report card handed in 100 days after the semi-hosted service was launched on the platform.

In order to maintain its growth rate, AliExpress has recently released a wave of favorable information for semi-hosted sellers , reducing the burden on merchants while ensuring that delivery time is not degraded.

According to the latest announcement from AliExpress, the platform will relax the delivery time assessment for new and potential products. The POP time assessment will be changed to 72 hours online, and the JIT time assessment will be extended by 48 hours. At the same time, merchants with fast delivery and high-quality service experience will be given incentives to avoid penalties. Previously, AliExpress has reduced the penalty amount for JIT delivery delays from 1 to 2 times to 0.5 to 1 times the product price.

(Sellers share semi-hosting results)

With the support of the semi-hosting model, some sellers born after 2000 caught the trend and doubled their sales within one month of entering the market; some of the first batch of sellers occupied the high ground and grew to become the top in the category in just three months.

During AliExpress's March anniversary celebration this year, Deng Qi, a clothing brand from Xuancheng, Anhui, had an average daily sales volume of over 9,000 orders, and the sales volume continued to rise after the promotion ended.

Li Haibo, born in the 2000s, started his first business after graduation when he caught up with the semi-hosting boom. After just one month of joining AliExpress semi-hosting, his sales doubled, with more than 10,000 visitors per day. "Semi-hosting is a new opportunity for traditional sellers, and I joined just to take a gamble!" said Li Haibo.

( Daily packing of Li Haibo, a post-00s semi-managed merchant on AliExpress )

Yan Guanghui, a seller from Ningbo, sells power tool accessories. Since he started semi-hosting on AliExpress last December, the sales of Yan Guanghui's store have nearly doubled. Power tool accessories are a niche product, and it is necessary to provide buyers with detailed pre-sales consultation and after-sales guidance. Although Yan Guanghui envied the ease of full hosting, the special nature of the product category made him unable to let go completely. The introduction of semi-hosting just solved his problem.

"Boss Yan, do you have plans to stock this product?" "Yes, we will. We are already preparing the stock!" This has become the most common conversation between the seller Yan Guanghui and the AliExpress clerks.

"It was very troublesome to calculate the shipping cost when I was running a pop (traditional self-operated) store, and I had to find someone to buy the shipping cost template. After doing semi-managed services, I don't have to worry about this, and the warehouse and delivery efficiency is higher, and the consumer experience is better." Yan Guanghui said. With the help of semi-managed services, Yan Guanghui's business is booming . Next, his first task is to upgrade other products to semi-managed services.

In addition to rapid growth, the semi-hosted model also makes it easier for sellers to incubate hot products. With the support of the Choice logo, merchants who join the semi-hosted model do not have to worry about delivery and fulfillment, and also enjoy more stable traffic. "The volume starts quickly" is the common feeling of many semi-hosted merchants.

Zhao Yunpeng, a toy merchant from Fuzhou, believes: "The platform provides traffic support to merchants with fast delivery. Consumers are more willing to continue placing orders when they receive the goods quickly. This is a positive cycle."

Following the platform policy, 90% of the products in Zhao Yunpeng's store have joined the semi-hosting. In just 3 months, Zhao Yunpeng has become the top merchant in the figure category of AliExpress. After entrusting the logistics to the platform, his main focus is on product selection and iteration. While the overall order volume is growing rapidly, more hot-selling products are also incubated.

AliExpress semi-hosting is gaining momentum, and many platforms are competing to establish it

Semi-hosting is developing rapidly, and multiple platforms besides AliExpress are making plans.

From the earliest AliExpress, full hosting drove the main growth of AliExpress in 2023. According to the latest quarterly report, AliExpress's quarterly orders increased by 60%. However, this model is more suitable for factories with production advantages and integrated industrial and trade sellers. It is not suitable for all products, especially for non-standard products such as clothing, multi-SKU products, and products with brand needs.

In the second half of 2023, AliExpress began testing semi-hosting. On January 5, after half a year of trial operation, AliExpress officially launched the semi-hosting model, giving sellers greater autonomy. Sellers are responsible for store operations, pricing, and brand marketing, while the platform is responsible for logistics fulfillment. This model lowers the threshold for sellers to engage in cross-border e-commerce, allowing sellers to focus more on research and development, testing, and brand operations.

Competition among cross-border platforms continues to intensify, and overseas consumers' requirements for shopping experience continue to increase. The "Four Little Dragons Going Global", including AliExpress, Temu, Shein, and Tik Tok , are all investing heavily.

On February 18, Alibaba International Station launched a semi-managed model, where sellers are responsible for operations and pricing, while logistics, funding and after-sales service are handled by the platform. In the opening of multiple sites, the products participating in the semi-managed model are labeled "Alibaba Guaranteed" and marked with delivery time, fixed price and after-sales guarantee.

On March 15, Temu officially launched the semi-hosted model, first in the United States and then in Canada. In April, sellers reported that Temu's semi-hosted model had been launched in the United Kingdom, which was the first stop for Temu's semi-hosted model to land in Europe.

With the layout of multiple platforms, semi-hosting is now very popular. The semi-hosting models launched by various platforms are also different. However, in the context of intensified competition, each company is investing heavily to try to attract more high-quality sellers.

In order to win the market, AliExpress is also increasing its own investment. After upgrading the "Global 5-Day Delivery Service" and officially announcing its sponsorship of the 2024 European Cup, it was recently revealed that it is preparing the "10 billion subsidy brand overseas" plan, known as the "No. 1 Project". The first batch of 1,000 places will be opened, and merchants can participate in the full hosting or POP semi-hosting mode, and enjoy the "10 billion subsidy" special support and exclusive channel traffic.

It is reported that semi-trusteeship helps merchants reduce logistics costs through combined orders and platform subsidies. It is particularly suitable for low-priced goods and small and light items, and has set off a new wave of "semi-trusteeship" in the cross-border circle.

For cross-border sellers, semi-hosting is both a trend and an opportunity. Merchants can carefully consider the timing of entry based on their own circumstances.

AliExpress

Semi-hosting

Hot Sales