The app, dubbed the “TikTok for e-commerce” by China-focused internet analyst Matthew Brennan, manufactures in China as many apparel retailers do. The difference is Shein controls its own production chain, from design and prototype to procurement to manufacturing. Each step is highly digitized and integrated with another, which allows the company to churn out hundreds of new products tailored to different regions and user tastes at a daily rate. The strategy is not unlike TikTok matching content creators with users by using algorithms to understand their habits in real-time.

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