Currently, the second free iPhone app in the United States, China's e-commerce marketplace app Dhgate is not the only one that has oddly benefited from President Trump's tariffs on US imports from China. Another Chinese shopping app, Taobao, also joined the top five as of Thursday.
US consumers have gathered on these apps over the past few days in the wake of numerous Tiktok videos from Chinese manufacturers to explain how many luxury markets have run from China. The video claims that many of the products from top luxury brands, including clothing, handbags, shoes and accessories, are actually made in China. According to these videos, items will be shipped to the brand's home country, such as Italy or France, and will be repackaged after the brand's label has been applied.
Other US and Chinese Tiktok creators have since pointed out e-commerce apps such as Dhgate and Taobao as ways to buy directly from Chinese manufacturers, and refrained from massive markup over billing for luxury brands.
With already paying attention to the price hikes of popular apps like Shein and Temu, US consumers quickly began downloading these alternatives.
According to new data from App Intelligence Provider AppFigures, in April, Taobao's estimated downloads were around 185,000 downloads, up 514% from 30,000 seen in the previous month. Like Dhgate, Taobao downloads surged over the weekend, with a 5.7-fold increase between last Friday and Saturday, the company said.
Image credits: AppFigures
On Saturday, Taobao ranked high in the iOS App Store (excluding games) with No. 461. He was 188th by Sunday and reached fifth by Thursday.
Rank changes represent the growth in app installations and their speed and other factors.
Taobao also grew from the No. 49 shopping app on Saturday, becoming the No. 2 app topped with Walmart, Amazon, Shein and Temu. (Chinese app Alibaba.com also climbs the charts here. It is currently the 6th shopping app in the US app store.)
In particular, according to AppFigures, Taobao has never been on the overall charts of US app stores, following data dating back to January 1, 2017.
Switching shopping apps doesn't actually save our consumers from tariffs on Chinese imports, but shoppers believe that buying directly from manufacturers could potentially reduce the overall cost of purchasing. For other consumers, it's simply a way to find luxury style products and tricks at better prices.
Of course, this is the case in one of these markets that “buyers are wary” and the quality can be hit or missed. Users are advised to read reviews of individual sellers and view photos of other buyers' items before making a purchase.