Children's Clothing Factory Taps Shopee's Light Export Model to Expand Cross-Border Sales

According to Leap.io, the company's cross-border business manager, identified only as Mr. Zhou, said the decision came after noticing that many popular children's clothing items in Southeast Asia were similar to their own offerings. "Many cross-border sellers are selling products we also supply, with many similar styles, so we felt our own products could be sold directly overseas," he said.

The company started with just over 100 styles that had already proven their market performance, rather than listing all products at once. As operations stabilized, the number of SKUs has grown to nearly 500. Using an ERP system integrated with Shopee's light export model, a single product configuration can now be synced to seven overseas sites: Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, and Mexico. The company only needs to fill in basic data such as weight and packaging dimensions, and the system automatically calculates pricing. The listing process, which previously took 10 to 20 minutes per product for self-operated stores, now takes about three to four minutes.

This efficiency has kept labor costs flat. Currently, one person handles the entire Shopee light export business, spending about two hours a day on product listing, inventory management, order processing, and shipping arrangements. "Other platforms basically need one person per store, but now we only need about two hours a day," Zhou said. For a supply-chain-oriented company, this means adding a new cross-border sales channel without setting up a dedicated operations team.

The light export model has also served as a window into overseas demand. Early data showed Brazil contributed the most orders, with consumers tending to buy single items, while Thailand had fewer orders but higher average order values, with some orders containing more than a dozen pieces. Children's dresses remain the best-selling category year-round. The company plans to add autumn and winter items such as jackets, vests, and sweaters based on seasonal demand.

Zhou emphasized that the biggest change is in how the business operates. Instead of managing marketing campaigns, advertising, and complex discount calculations, the company now focuses on inventory management and on-time delivery. "We just need to ensure we don't oversell inventory and ship on time," he said. Daily orders have risen from one or two in the early stage to a peak of 50 to 60, with platform-wide promotions typically doubling overall orders. Pricing in RMB also makes profit management more straightforward, as the company can set prices according to expected profit margins and see returns directly after each order.

Looking ahead, the company plans to continue enriching its children's clothing SKUs and adjust product offerings based on market feedback. Zhou believes that for factory-based sellers with stable supply chains, Shopee's light export model allows them to concentrate on what they do best. "Our biggest advantages are products, inventory, and price. If we do these well, cross-border business can be done more easily," he said.