For years, AliExpress has competed in the US largely on one promise: low prices. But its recent Summer Sale suggested the company is looking to broaden that proposition.

"We view the Summer Sale as an opportunity to innovate in the shopping experience, not just drive short-term sales," said Chris Gu, US country manager at AliExpress. "The goal was to show US shoppers that AliExpress delivers quality products at competitive prices through a shopping experience that's genuinely engaging."

The marketplace used its June promotion to spotlight Brand+, its destination for authenticated global brands, alongside creator-led livestreams designed to make shopping feel more like entertainment than transaction. Rather than positioning the event solely around discounts, AliExpress leaned into product discovery, trusted recommendations, and interactive experiences as it looks to carve out a distinct place in an increasingly crowded ecommerce landscape.

Making livestreams feel less like advertising

The clearest expression of that strategy was the campaign's investment in creator-led livestreams.

While livestream commerce has become commonplace across parts of Asia, many US retailers have struggled to translate the format for American audiences. AliExpress believes the answer isn't to recreate traditional shopping channels online but to lean into creators who already command trust within enthusiast communities.

"Traditional channels often serve shoppers who already know what they want," Gu said. "Livestreaming adds discovery and trust at the same time. When a creator demonstrates a product live, answers questions in real time, and brings their community along, you get context and credibility that a product page can't replicate on its own."

The company worked with more than 100 creators across 14 countries through its Brand+ Global Creator Program, an initiative it piloted before the Summer Sale and is now expanding.

Rather than assigning products to creators, AliExpress, participating brands, and creators collaborated to identify products that naturally fit each creator's audience.

• Rudy Caro, a 3D-printing creator, hosted a livestream alongside printer manufacturer Anycubic, allowing viewers to decide through live chat what the printer should produce next.
• Another creator streamed for three hours while testing more than 20 products, with highlight clips generating nearly 19,000 views and more than 1,000 likes within the first day after being repurposed, said Gu.

According to Gu, those examples reinforce an important lesson for the US market.

"The most successful creators presented themselves as authentic experts or passionate advocates, not as traditional advertisers," he said. "Standout performers had strong community trust in a specific niche, not necessarily the biggest follower counts."

Long-form streams on YouTube and Twitch proved especially effective with US audiences, he added, suggesting US consumers may be more receptive to live shopping when it's embedded within content platforms they already use rather than purpose-built commerce experiences.

Trust takes center stage

The campaign also reflects a broader effort to reshape perceptions of the marketplace itself.

Brand+, which features authenticated products from recognized global brands alongside benefits such as free shipping and returns on eligible items, has become a central pillar of AliExpress' US strategy. Pairing those products with trusted creators adds another layer of credibility.

"It's central to everything we do," Gu said. "When a creator showcases a Brand+ product to an audience that already trusts them, the recommendation feels authentic rather than promotional. Instead of simply telling shoppers a product is worth buying, you're letting them see it in action through someone they already know and trust."

That emphasis on trust also extends to how the company measures success.

Although AliExpress is still compiling final results from the Summer Sale, Gu said the company is evaluating the campaign across a broader range of metrics than gross merchandise value alone, including traffic acquisition, engagement, user retention, conversion potential, and brand mentions.

Early indicators point to sustained audience participation.

• During the Anycubic livestream, comment rates remained between 20 and 40 comments every 10 minutes throughout the three-and-a-half-hour broadcast after peaking at 45 comments early in the stream.
• Repurposed clips have also continued to generate organic engagement after the live event concluded.

For AliExpress, those signals may be just as important as immediate sales.

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