How to Sell on Tmall in 2025: Market Entry Strategies and Success Patterns

China is no longer just the world’s factory, it’s now one of the world’s most dynamic consumer markets. As global trade patterns shift (particularly after the April 2025 U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods), many international businesses are rethinking their go-to-market strategies. For brands looking to diversify revenue and reach new audiences, selling directly to Chinese consumers through Tmall is an increasingly compelling move. Whether you’re a growing DTC brand or an established player with international ambitions, Tmall Global offers a relatively low-barrier path into China’s digital ecosystem. But success requires more than just opening a storefront; you’ll need a strategic approach, operational readiness, and the right local partners. This guide explains how to sell on Tmall in 2025, breaking down the platform’s essentials, market entry strategies, success patterns, compliance challenges, step-by-step setup guidance, and key insights to thrive in China’s e-commerce landscape.

Understanding Tmall in 2025

Let’s start with a snapshot of the opportunity in China’s online market:

• Massive online shopper base: Over 800 million online shoppers make China the largest e-commerce market globally.
• Digital-first retail: E-commerce now represents over 50% of China’s total retail sales.
• Alibaba’s dominance: The Alibaba platform ecosystem (including Tmall) holds around 50% of China’s e-commerce market share.
• Record-breaking sales events: In 2024, Singles’ Day (China’s biggest shopping festival on 11/11) generated over $157 billion in sales across Alibaba platforms.

This scale is unmatched, but recent trade developments have further spurred interest in selling to China. Notably, the April 2025 U.S. tariffs added up to 34% duties on Chinese goods and removed exemptions for small parcels. Many brands now face thinner margins when exporting products out of China. The strategic response for global brands is to sell into China, not just export from it. By reaching Chinese consumers directly through platforms like Tmall, companies can hedge against trade instability, tap into booming domestic demand, and build brand equity in a high-growth market.

What is Tmall? Tmall is Alibaba Group’s premium B2C e-commerce platform where brands operate official flagship stores. It’s the online destination of choice for Chinese consumers seeking authentic, high-quality goods from both domestic and international brands. In 2025, there are two key versions of the platform for sellers:

• Tmall (Domestic): For companies with a Chinese business entity. Selling on domestic Tmall requires a local Chinese business license, inventory inside mainland China, and a trademark registered in China. It typically offers faster local shipping and access to the full Chinese consumer base, but it entails setting up a legal entity and importing stock into China.
• Tmall Global (Cross-Border): Alibaba’s international marketplace, allowing companies without a mainland China entity to sell directly to Chinese consumers. Goods can be shipped from overseas or stored in bonded warehouses within China for quicker delivery. Tmall Global lets foreign brands test the market with fewer barriers, no local company is required, and you can transact in foreign currency while the platform handles customs clearance for cross-border orders.

For most international brands starting out, Tmall Global is the gateway to China. It does not require establishing a local company, and Chinese customers are accustomed to cross-border shopping with slightly longer delivery times and paying import duties at checkout. In short, Tmall Global makes it feasible to sell on Tmall from abroad, while Tmall Domestic is an option once you have a Chinese subsidiary or if you partner with a local distributor.

Market Entry Strategies for Tmall

Successfully entering Tmall’s ecosystem in 2025 requires careful planning and strategic decisions up front. Some key market entry strategies to consider when preparing to sell on Tmall include:

1. Platform choice: Brands without a Chinese entity should begin with Tmall Global, while those with a local presence may later expand to Tmall Domestic for faster shipping and wider reach.
2. Store format: Most brands choose a Flagship Store to establish authenticity and build trust, though Authorised and Specialty Stores exist for specific cases.
3. Operations model: Running a store requires expertise in e-commerce, logistics, and marketing. Many foreign brands rely on Tmall Partners (TPs) to manage daily operations and overcome cultural and regulatory hurdles.
4. Logistics strategy: Sellers must decide between direct international shipping (lower cost but slower) or bonded warehouses in China (faster delivery and better experience, but higher upfront commitment).

In sum, entering Tmall is not as simple as listing your products. You must decide on the optimal platform version, store type, operational setup, and logistics approach. Each of these strategic choices will impact your store’s performance and your brand’s reputation among Chinese consumers. It’s wise to do thorough research or consult experienced market entry professionals when formulating your Tmall strategy.

Success Patterns on Tmall

What does success look like on Tmall? While every brand’s journey is unique, there are clear success patterns and trends among the brands that thrive on the platform. Understanding these can help shape your own approach:

1. Tapping into high-demand categories: Certain product categories are especially popular with Chinese online shoppers, and foreign brands in these areas have seen significant success on Tmall. Recent consumer data highlights the following high-potential categories for 2024–2025:

• Beauty & Skincare: International products remain highly sought after, with strong demand for “scientific skincare,” fragrances, and male grooming. K-beauty and J-beauty dominate, but niche Western brands are also gaining traction.
• Fashion & Apparel: Growth is driven by “quiet luxury,” athleisure, and sustainable fashion. The market is trend-driven and influenced by social media, requiring agility and strong brand storytelling.
• Health & Wellness: Supplements, vitamins, and superfoods are booming. Consumers prioritise trusted origins and transparency, often preferring to buy imports via Tmall Global for perceived authenticity.
• Food & Beverage: Imported snacks, premium teas, coffee, dairy, and alcohol attract strong interest, but strict compliance with food safety and labelling rules is essential.
• Consumer Electronics: Beyond major players like Apple, opportunities exist for specialised or niche tech products. Success requires quality differentiation, localisation (adapters, manuals), and strong after-sales support.

2. Adapting to consumer preferences: Winning brands focus on trust and authenticity, offering genuine products backed by certifications and positive reviews. They localise campaigns with culturally relevant messaging and collaborate with KOLs, while staying active on Chinese social platforms like WeChat, Weibo, RED, and Douyin to align with fast-moving trends.

3. Maximising sales events and platform tools: Top performers capitalise on major shopping festivals such as Double 11 and 6.18, preparing campaigns well in advance with bundles, livestreams, and strong promotions. They also leverage Tmall’s advertising, loyalty programmes like 88VIP, and reviews to boost visibility and engagement, treating Tmall as an active marketing ecosystem rather than a passive sales channel.

By recognising these success patterns, focusing on high-demand niches, localising thoroughly, and actively marketing within the Tmall ecosystem, new entrants can model their approach on what works and avoid reinventing the wheel.

Challenges and Compliance Considerations

Entering the Chinese e-commerce market via Tmall is full of opportunity, but it also comes with its share of challenges and compliance requirements. Being aware of these hurdles in advance will help you plan mitigations and avoid common pitfalls. Key challenges include:

1. Intense localisation: Success requires fully adapting language, visuals, product details, packaging, and pricing to Chinese consumers, not simply copying a Western strategy.
2. Customer service: Shoppers expect fast, real-time support in Mandarin, available 24/7. Slow or poor service quickly damages ratings and visibility.
3. Marketing and traffic: A Tmall store won’t generate sales on its own. Significant investment in on-platform ads, social media campaigns, and influencer collaborations is essential.
4. Regulatory compliance: Each category has specific requirements (labelling, permits, certifications). Non-compliance can result in penalties or store closure.
5. Right local partner: Choosing an experienced Tmall Partner is crucial. The wrong one may mismanage operations or harm brand reputation, so due diligence is key.
6. Long-term commitment: Tmall is a multi-year investment. Returns often come after 12–18 months, so brands must plan for patience, learning, and steady growth.

By being mindful of these challenges and proactively addressing them (through thorough localisation, hiring the right expertise, investing in marketing, etc.), you can greatly improve your odds of success on Tmall. Compliance and cultural adaptation are not areas to cut corners, they are as crucial as the quality of your products.

Step-by-Step Guidance to Sell on Tmall

With strategy and preparations in place, how exactly do you start selling on Tmall? The following is a step-by-step guide to launching a store on Tmall Global, which is the typical route for overseas brands in 2025:

1. Determine Eligibility

Not every company can open a Tmall Global store. Before anything else, ensure your business meets the basic eligibility criteria to sell on Tmall:

• You must have a legally registered company outside mainland China (e.g. in your home country or another jurisdiction).
• You should own your brand’s trademark (in your home market and ideally in China too) or have exclusive authorisation from the brand owner to sell the products.
• You need to be able to provide official documents for your business and products, this usually includes your business registration certificate, trademark certificates, and product origin or quality certificates.

Tmall Global tends to favour brands with a strong track record. In practice, this means having at least 2 years of operating history and consistent sales in other markets. New startups can still apply, but established brands find it easier to gain approval.

2. Choose Your Store Type

As mentioned, Tmall offers three main store types, and you’ll have to choose one during the application process:

• Flagship Store: For brand owners or sole trademark licensees. This requires you to prove you own the IP or have exclusive rights. A Flagship Store is labeled as the brand’s official store on Tmall.
• Authorised Store: For distributors who have the rights to sell a brand (but not exclusive, or they carry multiple third-party brands). You’ll need authorisation letters from the brand owner for this.
• Specialty Store: For multi-brand retailers in one category (for example, a beauty store selling various cosmetics brands). This is less common for cross-border unless you run a retail business carrying many brands.

Most international companies launching on Tmall Global will opt for a Flagship Store if possible, as it signals authenticity and helps build consumer trust. The Flagship designation assures shoppers that they are buying directly from the brand or its official representative.

3. Prepare Documentation

Getting your paperwork in order is a critical step. Tmall Global’s application will require you to upload and submit a range of documents and certificates. Common requirements include:

• Business licence (or incorporation certificate) for your company. (In British English, “licence” is the noun form.)
• Trademark registration proving you own the brand’s trademark in the relevant jurisdictions. If you’re a distributor, you’ll need a letter from the brand owner authorising use of the trademark on Tmall.
• Product certificates such as certificates of origin (to show where goods are made) and any category-specific certifications (for example, FDA or EU certification for cosmetics, organic certifications, etc., if applicable).
• Authorisation letter (授权书) if you are not the brand owner, this letter from the brand should grant you permission to operate a Tmall store for their products.
• Alipay account: You’ll need to set up an Alipay (Alibaba’s payment platform) account for international sellers to handle transactions. This is essentially how you get paid, so it must be linked before launch.
• Customer service & returns plan: Tmall Global will ask how you plan to handle customer inquiries and returns. You should have Mandarin-speaking customer support lined up, and a returns solution (either a local return address in China/Hong Kong through a third-party logistics provider, or a policy for returns shipped back to your home country).

Before applying, double-check that all documents are up to date, clearly scanned, and, where required, translated into Chinese. Any inconsistencies (like a trademark name not matching the brand name exactly) can slow down the review.

4. Apply via Tmall’s Merchant Portal

All Tmall Global applications are done online through the official Tmall Global merchant portal. Once you have your documents ready, you will:

• Submit the application form and documents: This includes basic company info, your chosen store type, brand details, and uploading the documents from step 3.
• Link your Alipay (International) account: Financial due diligence is part of the process.
• Choose your product categories: You’ll need to specify which category (or categories) you intend to sell in (e.g. cosmetics, apparel, food, etc.), as each category may have its own deposit and fee structure.
• Outline your operations model: Indicate whether you plan to ship goods from overseas as orders come in, use a bonded warehouse in China, or a combination. This informs Tmall how you will fulfill orders.

After submission, approval usually takes 2–4 weeks. During this period, the Tmall team will review your application, and they may reach out for clarifications or to request additional materials. It’s important to respond promptly if they ask for more information. Patience is key here, use the waiting time to start planning your store design and marketing launch, so you’re ready to move quickly once approved.

5. Pay Fees and Set Up Your Store

If your application is approved, congratulations, but before you start selling, there are some fees to pay and formalities to complete:

• Sign the Merchant Agreement: This is the contract between you and Tmall outlining the platform’s terms and your responsibilities. Review it carefully (it will be in Chinese and English) and sign electronically.
• Pay the security deposit: Tmall Global requires a refundable deposit, typically ranging from ¥50,000 to ¥150,000 RMB (approximately £5,500–£16,500) depending on your category. This deposit is held by Tmall as a security against potential violations or disputes. If you close your store later and have no outstanding issues, it’s returned to you.
• Pay the annual service fee: There is an annual technical/operational fee to be on Tmall Global, usually ¥30,000 to ¥60,000 RMB (£3,300–£6,600) per year. Part of this fee can be rebated if you hit certain sales targets. Think of it as the cost of using Alibaba’s platform infrastructure and tools.

Once fees are paid and your store is officially activated, you’ll gain access to Tmall’s Seller Center dashboard. This is where you will spend a lot of time managing your storefront. At this stage, key tasks include:

• Uploading product listings: Prepare high-quality photos, detailed descriptions (in Chinese), pricing, and inventory levels for each product. Tmall has strict guidelines on listing quality, ensure you include all required attributes and follow their format.
• Designing your storefront: You can customise your Tmall storefront to align with your branding. Often, brands hire designers (or use their TP’s design team) to create appealing banners, navigation, and pages for the store. A polished store design helps attract and retain shoppers.
• Setting up logistics integration: If you use bonded warehouses or third-party logistics, you’ll integrate those with the Tmall system (so customers can track orders through Cainiao, Alibaba’s logistics tracking system). Define your shipping options, delivery times, and returns process clearly in the system.

At this point, it’s highly recommended to have Mandarin-speaking e-commerce staff or a TP managing the backend. You’ll be coordinating with Tmall category managers and support staff who typically operate in Chinese. Attention to detail during setup is crucial, for example, Tmall’s big promotional events have strict product submission deadlines and design requirements.

6. Launch and Promote

With your store set up, you’re ready to go live, but the work is far from over. Launching and promoting your Tmall store effectively is critical for gaining traction:

• Go live strategically: Begin with a soft launch to test payments, logistics, and customer service before committing to larger campaigns.
• Drive traffic: Use Tmall’s Pay-Per-Click ads and display placements, while also directing external traffic through WeChat, Weibo, RED, and Douyin influencer collaborations.
• Engage customers: Encourage reviews, respond professionally, and use livestreaming on Taobao Live to showcase products. Loyalty incentives like coupons or follower programmes help retain buyers.
• Leverage campaigns: Participate in major festivals such as Double 11, 6.18, and 12.12 with tailored promotions. Coordinate with your Tmall manager to maximise exposure and ensure you can fulfil demand spike

Launching without a clear promotion plan is one of the main reasons Tmall stores fail. The marketplace is too large and competitive to rely on organic discovery alone. Opening a store is often compared to obtaining a business licence: it’s only the first step, and the real work lies in building and managing the business. A local team or Tmall Partner (TP) can be invaluable here, executing campaigns, monitoring analytics, and adjusting tactics in real time. Success requires continuous optimisation during the first months.

Following these steps gives brands a structured pathway through Tmall’s onboarding process. Each stage demands effort and investment, but together they form the foundation for long-term growth in China’s competitive online market.

Selling on Tmall in 2025 is a gateway, not a shortcut. The platform offers unparalleled access to Chinese consumers, but not instant results. Brands must enter with patience, planning, and adaptability. The rewards are substantial: in a world of volatile trade and saturated Western markets, China presents a unique growth horizon with hundreds of millions of digital-native consumers hungry for quality imports. For many businesses, mastering how to sell on Tmall represents the start of a new expansion era.

This article has outlined the strategies that drive success on Tmall, from selecting the right entry model and embracing localisation, to marketing effectively and managing compliance. Meeting these challenges with a strong offer and operational excellence can turn Tmall into a cornerstone of your global strategy.

Importantly, brands should not navigate this alone. The most successful companies often rely on experienced local partners to accelerate learning and avoid costly missteps. Gate Kaizen, for example, supports global brands in entering China’s e-commerce ecosystem, offering tailored guidance on compliance, logistics, store operations, and marketing. With such expertise – and a mindset of continuous improvement, true to the principle of Kaizen – even newcomers can establish a robust presence on Tmall.

In summary, to sell on Tmall successfully, treat it as a long-term venture: research carefully, invest in localisation and marketing, stay agile to consumer trends, and leverage local knowledge. With perseverance and the right strategy, your brand can connect with China’s vast online audience and claim a share of this dynamic market’s future growth.