Annual report · 2024
Chinese Brands Going Global 2024: quantity over quality
Chinese brands continued their push onto the global stage in the 2024 edition, which audits 251 brands (from a 654 sample) and ranks the Top 100. Traffic, followers and engagement grew across the board, with real gains in supply chains, distribution and localisation.
Yet the report's core finding is quantity over quality: past the top players, the outbound cohort is still weak, and the cultural impact of Chinese branding on the global stage remains low.
- 251
- brands audited and ranked (from a 654 sample)
- 63%
- of top Amazon sellers are China/HK-based (≈2× the US)
- $289B
- China cross-border retail ecommerce (2022)
- 3.2M
- vehicles exported in 2022 — #2 globally
Key findings
What the data shows
01 The platform story: made in China, sold on Amazon
Aspiring brands are heavily biased toward ecommerce platforms for early growth. Chinese sellers account for roughly 30% of Amazon GMV, and around 75% of new Amazon sellers originate in China. Temu reached 50 million app installs in under seven months — SHEIN took over three years.
02 Five pathways to going global
The report frames outbound brands across five routes: ecommerce platforms, DTC brands, leaders & innovators, networkers, and acquirers — each with its own tactics and ceiling.
03 Three phases of expansion
Traffic/Price (2002–13, factory-direct dollar stores), Sales/Product (2014–19, Amazon-led), and Social/Brand (2020 onward, DTC websites plus social advertising and coherent brand strategy).
04 Quality catching up, culture lagging
Top auto and electronics brands are now among the best globally, but the cultural impact of branding remains low — a gap between operational excellence and brand equity.
05 TikTok lurking as a commerce engine
By 2023, TikTok ecommerce was set to eclipse its ad revenue; following the China playbook of live commerce and shops shortens the path to purchase.
06 National champions underplay branding
Large enterprises such as Huawei, Haier and BYD focus on sales channels and partners over direct marketing, so many very large companies rank lower in a digital-brand ranking.
FAQ
Common questions
- How many brands does the 2024 report cover?
- 251 audited brands from a 654-brand sample, ranked as a Top 100 by digital score.
- How dependent are Chinese brands on Amazon?
- Heavily — the dominant model is 'made in China, sold on Amazon'. Chinese sellers account for around 30% of Amazon GMV and roughly 75% of new Amazon sellers originate in China.
- What are the five pathways to going global?
- Ecommerce platforms, DTC brands, leaders & innovators, networkers, and acquirers.
- How big is China's cross-border ecommerce?
- An estimated $289 billion in 2022, within the world's largest ecommerce market (nearly 50% of global transactions).
- Which brands led the 2024 ranking?
- SheIn, realme, Huawei, Xiaomi and DJI topped the ranking by digital score.
Get the full report
This is a summary of the headline findings. The full report includes the complete Top 100 ranking, regional breakdowns, category data and the marketers' playbook.
The Combinant audited 251 Chinese consumer brands (from a 654 sample) using website, social media and ecommerce data (June 2023), ranking the Top 100 by a composite digital score.