A survey of 152 European sellers on Temu shows that marketplace participation is increasingly linked to cross-border expansion, higher capacity and additional hiring.
One in three European small businesses selling on Temu have expanded into new international markets after joining the marketplace, according to a new survey conducted among sellers across six European countries.
The survey, conducted by Temu in June and July 2026, included 152 small businesses from Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom. According to the findings, 34% of respondents said they had started selling in new markets after joining the platform.
Marketplace participation linked to business expansion
The survey also points to broader operational growth among participating SMEs. Half of respondents said they had increased production or operational capacity, hired additional employees, or done both after joining Temu.
For smaller businesses, access to additional demand can create opportunities to scale operations, particularly when marketplaces provide access to customers beyond their domestic markets.
The findings suggest that cross-border marketplaces are becoming an increasingly important route for SMEs seeking to expand their international customer base without building market infrastructure independently.
Established businesses are also using Temu
The survey indicates that Temu is not only attracting newly established online sellers. 43% of the businesses surveyed had already been selling for more than 10 years before joining the platform, suggesting that established companies are also using marketplaces as an additional route to customers.
Meanwhile, 75% of respondents said Temu had become either an important additional sales channel or their primary sales channel.
This highlights the changing role of marketplaces within SME e-commerce strategies. Rather than relying exclusively on their own websites or traditional retail channels, established businesses are increasingly adding large digital marketplaces to their distribution mix.
Cross-border e-commerce opportunity
The international expansion reported by participating sellers also reflects the broader importance of marketplaces in European cross-border commerce. Research from the OECD indicates that more than a quarter of European SMEs already sell across borders within the EU, while many businesses consider access to the single market important for their growth strategies.
For SMEs, marketplaces can reduce some of the barriers associated with entering new markets by providing an established digital sales environment and access to international consumers.
However, the Temu survey was commissioned by the platform itself and covers a relatively small sample of 152 existing Temu sellers. The findings therefore reflect the experiences of participating businesses rather than the wider European SME population.
Still, the results point to a growing role for marketplaces in helping European SMEs pursue international sales, operational expansion and cross-border e-commerce growth.
