From start-up to global fashion brand – how Shein conquered the world

It may not yet be a household name yet, but few teenagers will not know the name of Chinese fast-fashion brand Shein.

Founded in 2008, Shein now has around 30 million Instagram followers and on TikTok #shein has amassed 6.2 billion views and appears in over 70 other trending hashtags. It recently emerged as US teens’ second-favourite e-commerce site after Amazon.

Shein is known for its vast offering of on-trend clothes at ultra-low prices. It also sells a wide range of other goods. It sells to 200 markets globally, and has doubled its sales over eight consecutive years, Jing Daily reported.

In 2020, sales were worth almost $20 billion. Its phenomenal growth is a study in a successful social media strategy.

The details

• While Shein works with big names, such as Katy Perry, Lil Nas X, Rita Ora, Hailey Bieber and Yara Shahidi, it mainly relies on social media marketing, encouraging fans globally to become affiliates, and allowing up-and-coming influencers to promote the brand and earn commissions.
• The result is a huge number of commission-earning influencers, ranging from those with massive followings, like Addison Rae (79.5 million on TikTok alone), to those with a mere 2,000 followers. In India alone, Shein reportedly worked with around 2,000 influencers when it launched in 2018.
• The brand’s biggest strength, though, is user-generated content on social – it appears in millions of so-called “clothing hauls”, or review videos, on TikTok and YouTube. Of the top 10 most-watched Shein videos, only two were sponsored by the brand.

Sound Bite

“Hauls are really advancing. As we’re starting to see them within TikTok and Reels videos, instead of having to watch a full 15- to 20-minute YouTube video, brands and influencers can demonstrate more looks within a shorter time period, and ultimately reach more potential customers.” Emily Trenouth, head of influencer marketing at MediaCom

Sourced from Jing Daily, WARC