SHEIN ceases Indonesia operations

Fast fashion brand SHEIN has ceased operations in Indonesia on 29 July, as seen on its Indonesian website. This comes shortly after the launch of its Southeast Asian hub in Singapore two months ago. A banner at the top of the website can be seen assuring customers that all orders placed before 29 July will still be delivered. It also added that customer service remains available for inquiries until further notice.

The global fashion e-tailer previously expanded its international footprint to the Southeast Asia region, sharing with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it also plans to create a standalone website for shoppers in Malaysia. 

According to SHEIN, it experienced positive growth with a community of about 100 million members and approximately 230 million app downloads globally since its launch more than a decade ago in 2008. Multiple media reports including the South China Morning Post said that SHEIN was founded in a city in eastern China known as Nanjing, and has exploded in popularity among American teams.

Despite its Asian roots, SHEIN's branding and user interface is more Westernised, with the brand using mainly Western or pan-Asian looking models in the online catalogue and ads. It also has plenty of product reviews from users globally. The spokesperson explained to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE then that as America was one of the first regions it expanded into, naturally, Western models were used for these campaigns.

"With the expansion over the years to other regions, the models we had fronting campaigns shifted to different nationalities as well in order to ensure market relevancy. Part of the brand’s identity stems from values like inclusivity and diversity and we are committed to the philosophy that everyone can enjoy the beauty of fashion," said the spokesperson.

Earlier this year in January, US-based cosmetic brand NYX Professional Makeup also left the Indonesian market, closing its online stores permanently across six platforms: Shopee, Lazada, Tokopedia, Sociolla, JD.id, and Blibli.com. NYX's closure of its online stores in Indonesia comes less than a year after the brand exited the Malaysia market.

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