Chinese platforms are moving their stock to European warehouses. That removes their biggest drawback: long delivery times. What does this mean for Dutch web shops and brands, and where does your answer lie?
In short
- Local stock makes Chinese players faster and more visible.
- Competing on price is a lost battle; competing on brand and content is not.
- Lower content costs and a shorter time-to-market give you room to manoeuvre.
What is changing
For a long time, delivery time was the argument against ordering from Chinese web shops. That argument is disappearing. Chinese players are moving their stock to warehouses in Europe at a rapid pace. Temu ultimately wants to be able to ship around 80% of all European orders locally.
Their share is already large too: of the online orders placed by consumers under €150 in 2024, around 91% came from China. That brings them closer to your customer and increases the pressure on Dutch sellers and their margins.
Why competing on price does not work
You will not win on price against a party with a different cost structure. What does work is a reason to be chosen that has nothing to do with price: a recognisable brand, better product information and content that builds trust.
A buyer who recognises your brand and understands what they are buying compares less on price.BrandMonks
That calls for consistent brand rules and content aimed at conversion, not just at looking ‘nice’.
Content is the bottleneck
37.5% of online entrepreneurs see content as one of their biggest challenges. That is no surprise. Content is:
- Expensive: a large share of designers work freelance.
- Time-consuming: design takes a lot of time, checking and rounds of feedback.
- Not aimed at conversion: a lot of content is made to look nice.
- Inconsistent: without clear rules in your brand identity, your brand gets diluted.
Lower costs without sacrificing quality
The solution lies in scalability. Define your brand rules properly once, translate them into templates and let product data and AI do the repetitive work. At Smartphonehoesjes.nl, that took a collection launch from 8 months to around 5 days.
How to get started
- Measure where you stand. Map out conversion, clicks, returns and reviews per channel.
- Set your goal. A stronger brand foundation, more conversion-focused content or automation?
- Define your brand rules. Colours, typography, use of imagery and tone of voice.
- Build templates. For listings, A+ content, banners and packaging.
- Optimise every month. Test, measure and feed what works back into the templates.
Frequently asked questions
Should I lower my prices?
Not necessarily. First invest in what sets you apart: brand, product information and service.
Is AI a threat or an opportunity?
Both. The same technology that makes others cheaper can help you create content faster and at lower cost.
Melle Sikma
Helmsman
melle@brandmonks.nl
