EU Parcel Tax Cuts Shein & Temu Volumes 42%, Retail Media Rises

The EU's new parcel tax is already reshaping trade flows — Shein and Temu volumes through Liège Airport collapsed 42% in months. Plus: why brands are spending more on retail media even as growth slows. In this episode: Europe's top 100 marketplaces are on track to generate €175.8 billion in GMV this year, with 79.5% of that coming from cross-border transactions — making domestic-only strategies increasingly unviable for European sellers. Consumer brands are increasing retail media budgets on platforms like Amazon and Zalando even as overall sales growth softens, raising the question of whether the spend is driving new revenue or simply defending existing shelf position. Small parcel volumes through Liège Airport — a key entry point for Shein and Temu shipments — have fallen 42% since the EU's low-value parcel tax launched on July 1st, signalling a structural shift in cross-border ecommerce flows into Europe. The Digital Commerce Daily is a concise briefing for ecommerce, retail media and digital commerce professionals, hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every day. Enjoying the show? A quick rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps other marketers find us. Also from Marco & Klara: The FMCG Marketing Daily · The Health Marketing Daily