Sensor Tower: Shein's ad spend rose 35% MoM in France and the UK in April, while Temu's jumped 40% MoM and 20% MoM, respectively, amid Trump's de minimis ban
Context & Ripple Effects
The April increases follow a period in which both platforms had been expanding in the US: card data showed stronger US sales ahead of tariffs for Shein and Temu. The new figures show marketing attention rising in France and the UK as the US de minimis policy changed.
The geographic split matters because Sensor Tower also reported cuts to both companies' US digital advertising in the weeks beginning March 31. Together, the reports suggest a near-term reallocation of acquisition spending rather than a uniform pullback.
First-order effects
- Shein increased April ad spending by 35% month on month in both France and the UK, while Temu increased spending by 40% in France and 20% in the UK.
- The two platforms are immediately putting more paid-acquisition pressure on those markets while the US policy shift raises the stakes for their US operating model.
Second-order effects
- Higher spending by both companies can make French and UK digital ad inventory more contested, particularly for other retail advertisers seeking the same performance-marketing audiences.
- The differing increases—especially Temu's larger move in France—indicate that country-level marketing budgets may be adjusted independently rather than through one broad European playbook.
Third-order effects
- If trade-policy changes continue to redirect acquisition budgets, cross-border retail platforms may become more geographically diversified in their marketing, with market-level policy exposure shaping where growth spending goes.
- That would make advertising allocation a more visible part of how low-price marketplaces absorb trade-rule disruption, though the reported data alone do not establish whether the shift will persist.
The trend: Trade-policy friction is pushing cross-border marketplaces to rebalance customer-acquisition investment across regions rather than relying on a single growth market.