As the afterglow of China's 618 shopping event has yet to fade, the most significant e-commerce frenzy of the first half of the year in the US market has entered its most intense phase. With the help of interest-based e-commerce, TikTok Shop has taken the lead in breaking through in the content field, reaching a new peak.

Latest data shows that both the cross-border self-operated (POP) model and the full management model have set new records in the content field. Among them, cross-border POP model live streaming business has reached a new high, with the cumulative amount of super single-item live streaming breaking one million US dollars, and the number of live streaming sessions exceeding ten thousand has increased more than three times compared to last year; under the full management model, with the help of AIGC content, product sales have increased by more than 150%, and the business of overseas warehouse merchants has exploded 2.4 times compared to last year's Black Friday.

In recent years, the industry's perception of mid-year promotions has quietly changed. The e-commerce platforms participating in the event have expanded, and the resources invested by each company have been continuously increased, making the scale of the promotion increasingly similar to Black Friday. For merchants, mid-year promotions are not only a window for efficient shipment but also an excellent opportunity to amplify brand awareness.

Actually, before the opening data of the mid-year promotion was disclosed, TikTok Shop had become the focus of this multi-party melee. Not only because its scale is larger and resources are more substantial this year, but many merchants who have participated in the mid-year promotion in the past believe in the explosive power brought by content.

There is also an industry background that is easy to overlook. This year's mid-year promotion coincides with the World Cup finals, Father's Day, the US National Day, and the summer season change, which are consumer hotspots. The biggest difference is the World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Previously, FIFA has reached a historic "preferred platform" cooperation agreement with TikTok and YouTube, making it a key digital media partner.

These hotspots naturally carry topicality, and users have a high willingness to share. On content-driven platforms like TikTok Shop, users' purchasing behavior driven by interest will be further amplified during the promotion period.

Compared to the past, many merchants' preparation rhythm for the promotion is also more compact. A TikTok Shop merchant specializing in clothing revealed that the team started preparing for the promotion in mid-April, trying to advance scheduling with influencers, inventorying overseas stock, and reserving content materials. He described that the energy and resources invested in this mid-year promotion are comparable to those of Black Friday.

Cross-border e-commerce is a capital-intensive business. Where merchants' money goes, the industry's attention tends to flow. As the merchant mentioned above said, "We are very much looking forward to TikTok Shop's next explosion."

01

Scale Comparable to Black Friday, Merchants' Goals Are Not Just to Clear Inventory

How lively is this year's TikTok Shop mid-year promotion in the US? Let's review the clues given by the topic words.

In 2025, TikTok Shop's mid-year promotion hashtag #DealsForYouDays had a total playback of over 7 billion times. In the past month, the topic volume has skyrocketed nearly 20 times again. It can be said that the mid-year promotion is evolving from an early simple promotional node into a national carnival that spans content, social, and transactions.

Why is this year's TikTok Shop mid-year promotion so popular? The reason is not difficult to understand. This summer, there has been almost no gap in consumer hotspots in the US market.

On June 11, the World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico started, and the excitement of the event had been heating up on social media since April. The discussion volume of sports equipment, viewing peripherals, large-screen TVs, and projectors continued to climb.

Father's Day and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States (July 4) followed closely. June-July is originally the traditional peak season for patio parties and outdoor dining, and the special node of this 250th anniversary has increased the consumption demand for related categories. In addition, the summer season change drives the demand for clothing, beauty and skincare, camping, and fitness and other outdoor sports.

Unlike traditional shelf e-commerce, which follows the "people looking for goods" link, orders on TikTok Shop are driven by interest, "content stimulates demand, and demand is converted instantly." A user may add a product to their shopping cart the moment they see a planting video of World Cup peripherals.

The denser the consumer hotspots, the richer the content supply, and the shorter the link from planting to ordering. Moreover, at nodes like mid-year promotions, merchants' content assets accumulated throughout the year are expected to be realized in a concentrated manner like a floodgate opening.

Another undeniable fact is that the scale of this year's mid-year promotion is unprecedented: it spans across the US, UK, twelve European countries, and Japan's core markets for the first time, and the resources invested by the platform are comparable to Black Friday. TikTok Shop's positioning for this mid-year promotion is: "Larger scale, hotter spots, more substantial resources, and wider influence."

(Image source: TikTok Shop Cross-border E-commerce Official Weibo)

Compared to previous TikTok Shop mid-year promotions, the explosive power of content continues, but the platform's gameplay has been comprehensively upgraded, and conversion efficiency has been further improved.

This year's mid-year promotion features denser marketing hotspots and stronger explosive power, and the advantages of the content field are expected to continue to be amplified; AI short videos, live auction and other gameplay are included in the mid-year promotion for the first time, which is expected to help merchants obtain new business growth and achieve efficient conversion.

In addition, this year's TikTok Shop US mid-year promotion brand marketing seats have also been fully expanded, with the number of brands participating in marketing activities nearly six times higher than last year's Black Friday. Evergreen categories and trend products can enjoy targeted support for explosive products, obtain over 100 million heavy resources, and tens of millions of dollars in official warehouse distribution incentives.

For cross-border merchants, the significance and positioning of mid-year promotions have quietly changed: in the past, the operational goals mainly revolved around seasonal inventory clearance, but now, mid-year promotions have become a golden window for sprinting sales outbreaks and gaining brand exposure.

02

New Gameplay Brings New Variables, What Are the Operational Focuses of TikTok Shop Mid-Year Promotion?

Among the series of gameplay upgrades, live auction is the most worthy of attention for cross-border POP merchants.

The United States itself has a mature auction culture, with rich online and offline formats and an active trading atmosphere. The innovation of TikTok Shop is to bring the auction gameplay into the live broadcast room. Through entertaining interactive forms, users feel more involved, and the excitement of low-priced snatching and the urgency brought by bidding naturally increase the stay time and interaction rate of the live broadcast room.

In January this year, the live auction function began to be tested on a small scale in the US region, and in March, the cross-border POP was officially launched in the US region. In the past six months, it has grown rapidly, and many merchants have tasted the sweetness and achieved business outbreaks.

Fashion accessory brand L&O is a typical case. After switching to the auction mode for only one month, L&O topped the fashion accessory auction TOP1, with a daily average auction live broadcast GMV of 10,000 US dollars, and a single live broadcast GMV once soared 15 times, with a conversion rate increase of 8 times.

L&O's success can be summarized as the "three-pronged approach" of live auction.

In terms of product selection, they maintain a high-frequency iteration and rapid testing of the product plate, testing 200-300 items per week, starting with a bid of 1 US dollar to drive popularity. After the model is running smoothly, the average customer price is increased to 20 US dollars, using profits to support operations, and continuously expanding the product plate and anchors.

In terms of live broadcast script and wording polishing, L&O configures 3 groups of main and deputy anchor partners, adopts a fast pace of 20-second countdown plus 50 auctions per hour to create tension and stimulate bidding.

When the live broadcast room is at different stages, L&O's content has different emphases. In the early stage of account establishment, the hand model live broadcast mode is used to quickly attract fans and gather popularity; after having a certain fan base and order conversion model, advertising placement and marketing events are added to achieve dual improvement in exposure and conversion.

A function that combines sales, drainage, and product testing into one operational scenario is also one of the reasons for the rapid growth of live auctions.

For cross-border POP merchants, the operational focus during the promotion period is actually not complicated:

Clarify the target rhythm in the early stage, check the atmosphere arrangement and price setting in advance; during