2021 has been another challenging year as the global pandemic continues. However, in the e-commerce world, cross-border sellers and buyers made more breakthroughs by selling goods overseas or stocking up for their businesses around a variety of festivals and holidays.
DHgate analyzed its data and shortlisted the bestselling products of the year, highlighting Bluetooth headphones, LED shop lights, phone cases, scooters, yoga wear, wedding dresses & party supplies, cosmetic bags, string lights, drones, stress-relieving toys, bookends, knitted hats, and more.
The popularity of such items indicates the trends for markets active in cross-border trade, including leading markets like the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, and France, and emerging markets such as the Republic of Seychelles, the Republic of Zimbabwe, and the Republic of Senegal.
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“Leveraging the strong supply chain advantage of China and the network effect advantage built up over many years, DHgate can empower global buyers to capture the opportunities from the digital economy and thrive.”
Special Occasion Party Supplies Rearising
In 2021, stay-at-home economy products still dominated shopping scenarios. The sales of associated products for home video and audio, monitors, and small kitchen appliances grew steadily, while VR/AR glasses, sports items, and stress-relieving toys also topped the favorite categories of many sales campaigns.
On the other hand, the demand for special occasion party products climbed rapidly. In recent months, including the holiday season, purchase orders of wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and formal dresses, along with more party supplies such as string lights experienced fast growth. This signifies a slow recovery of offline gatherings, despite new and widespread changes brought by the pandemic.
Although consumers are becoming accustomed to online conferences, networking-focused meetups and celebrations have not been successfully replaced virtual alternatives. The festive season is not the only example, and subcategories such as swimwear, men’s T-shirts and yoga wear also achieved enormously high YoY growth back in the summer when consumers were on break.
Digital and Entertainment Products Pioneering in B2B Livestream Shopping Era
There is a growing trend among international buyers in America to shop during livestreams, which is a trend DHgate is leading. Supported by DHgate Sourcing Connect (DSC), the livestream project was specially designed and launched in 2021. It was initially opened for invited-only buyers (but is now available for more buyers) to access business opportunities in the prospering social e-commerce era during a pandemic period rife with many new changes.
In short, DSC allows users to enjoy the convenience of placing orders during livestreaming sessions that are hosted monthly. By listening to and watching introductions to what they buy by livestream anchors, they also improve their knowledge about the products themselves. Combining social media and e-commerce has been a trendy and profitable means that emerged in countries like China, which possesses a mature supply chain, manufacturing capabilities, and a fast-growing but developed online landscape.
During DHgate’s livestream shopping sessions, the favorite products for 2021 included mobile accessories, toys, gifts, digital products such as mini Bluetooth speakers, and wireless headsets. Those products are usually sold at the lowest prices across all platforms, accompanied by a variety of exclusive coupons and deals during the session.
It’s exciting to see stress-relieving toys also becoming a hit in recent years. Many resellers have attended DSC since its launch to learn and procure trending products, and who fell in love with this new way of shopping right away. Roni Levy, who participated in a recent livestream shopping session, said, “The introduction of this shopping channel is novel to me. Moreover, the U.S. team of DHgate is very responsive and efficient. I also hope to get more recommendations about toys from DHgate.” The buyer has procured a high volume of goods from DSC and will continue sourcing goods from this platform.
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3C and Home Products Outstanding in Social Commerce Era
According to Forbes, Gen Z’s use of devices continues to increase, with 98% owning a smartphone and averaging more than 4 hours a day on mobile apps. Gen Z has already moved beyond traditional e-commerce favored by millennials and is used to social commerce.
DHgate data backs this trend, too. In 2021, more buyers placed at least one order originally from DHgate’s social media channels, including DHgate Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Additionally, DHgate’s powerful affiliate program and MyyShop ecosystem have welcomed a much wider user base. The enormous network helps global merchants and influencers sell and earn great profits. DHgate affiliates own a complete ecosystem and MyyShop collects products directly from suppliers and ships them to the customers of MyyShop users.
In terms of products, the top picks in 2021 across DHgate’s social commerce matrix included: mini Bluetooth speakers, electric toothbrushes, grain storage boxes, electric hand sanitizer pumps, drones, stress-relieving bubble boards, moon-shape lamps, 3-in-1 magnetic USB cables, Lenovo LP40 wireless headphones, Christmas parent-child outfits, Lenovo home projectors, Xiaomi smart bracelets, electric garlic mashers, whisks, juicers, and mobile phone cases.
In today’s digital economy era, social media is an absolute rising star not only for consumer buyers simply going for leisure but also buying for their daily lives. Social media is, therefore, one of the most key and publicly available information sources and a new strategic market for all wholesale buyers. It’s also important for everyone to follow the trends on these channels and gain product ideas in order to reach new customers and reengage existing ones.
DHgate endeavors to continuously provide trends and consumer insights into cross-border trade. “Facing the strained global supply chain challenge, DHgate has adapted to responding ever-fast to global buyers’ massive procurement needs,” said Allen Wang, vice president of the Global User Marketing Center at DHgate. “Leveraging the strong supply chain advantage of China and the network effect advantage built up over many years, DHgate can empower global buyers to capture the opportunities from the digital economy and thrive.”
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