雷科技
IFA 2026 officially kicked off in Berlin, Germany on September 4. As one of the world’s three major consumer‑electronics expos, this year’s IFA drew over 1,900 exhibitors from 49 countries and regions under the theme “The Future is Now”. The Leitech reporting team for IFA26 has been hard at work on‑site in Berlin, delivering on‑location, comprehensive and first‑hand coverage of IFA 2026.
More than 1,900 brands took part in this year’s IFA. Leitech observed that Chinese brands accounted for nearly half of all exhibitors, numbering over 900. Chinese players dominate categories ranging from TVs and robot vacuum cleaners to today’s hottest segments including AI glasses and humanoid robots.
(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team on-site)
For all the fanfare, going global has never been an easy feat.
Fragmented offline retail channels across Europe come with high partnership costs. Divergent languages, cultures and consumer habits from country to country often render marketing campaigns ineffective. Worse still, the outdated stereotype that “Made‑in‑China equals cheap” persists. Many domestic Chinese products boast solid specifications and premium build quality, yet struggle to command higher prices, posting sales volume with little profit margin.
How can this deadlock be broken?
AliExpress’s Brand+ pavilion, making its IFA debut this year, offered Leitech (ID: leitech) a tangible solution.
Unlike other booths focused on showcasing their own merchandise, the AliExpress space featured none of its own products. Instead, the entire area was handed over to nine Chinese AI hardware‑tech brands.
Known as the “AI Hardware Dream Team”, the nine participants include: Eagle View Intelligence Wings, specializing in flying robots; GMKtec, maker of desktop AI supercomputing hubs; ILIFE, a household‑name home‑cleaning appliance brand popular in Poland; Seauto, producer of pool‑cleaning robots; ENGWE, smart e‑bike brand; ANYCUBIC, consumer‑grade 3D‑printer manufacturer; MagicLab, creator of the Spring‑Festival‑gala‑featured Panda robot; ETENWOLF, focused on outdoor portable gear; and the Qwen AI glasses powered by the Qwen large‑language model. Every one of them is a genuine powerhouse backed by core proprietary technologies.
What also stood out was the group brand photo session. Major home‑grown tech heavyweights including Xiaomi, Hisense, Skyworth, TCL, iFlytek and Dreame were largely in attendance. More than just an AliExpress booth event, it amounted to a collective gathering of Chinese brands venturing overseas.
(Photograph source: AliExpress)
That said, some may wonder: what exactly is Brand+? Put simply, it is AliExpress’s strategic global‑expansion initiative tailored for Chinese brands.
It goes far beyond merely setting up storefronts for merchants and allocating a small share of traffic. Instead, it hand‑picks brands with solid technology, reliable quality and high added value. It provides end‑to‑end support spanning marketing to distribution, helping brands enter global markets at lower costs. The goal is not to chase quick profits and exit, but to build genuine local‑market brands and retain long‑term users.
It is worth noting that as of August this year, AliExpress Brand+ has achieved over 50‑percent brand sales penetration across 11 countries including Germany, France and Poland, firmly establishing itself as a core new arena for brands going global.
AI‑powered hardware has become a global trend in recent years, and it also ranks among the fastest‑growing categories on AliExpress. From January to July this year, overseas sales of AI hardware on the platform doubled year‑on‑year with a growth rate exceeding 100 %, to which Brand+ has contributed significantly.
Take ILIFE, a Shenzhen‑based home‑cleaning appliance brand for example. While it may be little‑known among domestic Chinese consumers, it is a bona‑fide household‑name robot‑vacuum brand in Poland, with roughly one unit present in every ten households.
(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team on-site)
ILIFE has largely grown thanks to AliExpress: its total sales on the platform have nearly tripled over the past year, with annual sales topping 10 million US‑dollars in Poland alone. During last year’s major shopping events, its sales even outperformed those on Amazon.
At AliExpress’s on‑site booth, Leitech also watched MagicLab’s robot performance, drawing crowds of international visitors taking photos and checking in. The brand signed an exclusive strategic cooperation agreement with AliExpress back in July. This IFA marks its first collective overseas appearance alongside the platform since the partnership.
(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team on-site)
Another on‑site detail left a deep impression on Leitech (ID: leitech). When Yanzhi, Head of Overseas Marketing for AliExpress Brand+, took the stage for his keynote speech, he was wearing the Qwen AI glasses — quite a powerful product integration.
(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team on-site)
At this IFA, AliExpress officially unveiled three major capability upgrades for Brand+, essentially adding three layers of competitive advantages for overseas‑bound brands.
First, omnichannel marketing for broader reach. Proven strategies that have delivered results in Europe will be replicated in new markets including the United States, South Korea and Brazil, opening up new growth opportunities for brands.
Second, full access to AI‑powered operational tools. AI handles product‑selection analysis, pricing strategies and multilingual content generation. Small‑ and medium‑sized brands can run cross‑border businesses smoothly without building large in‑house operation teams.
Third, further expansion of local warehousing and logistics across Europe. Following official warehouses in Spain, France and Poland, the official German warehouse is set to open in mid‑September, helping merchants cut warehousing‑and‑logistics costs by 10 %.
Compliance capabilities also deserve a mention, representing a core strength built by AliExpress through years of deep engagement in overseas markets. The recent implementation of EU tax reforms has dealt a substantial blow to many cross‑border platforms, triggering sharp order volatility. By contrast, AliExpress posted a 97 % year‑on‑year surge in the EU market in August against the market trend.
Among leading cross‑border platforms, AliExpress is the least affected by tariff policies. The brand‑oriented path adopted by Brand+ delivers markedly stronger risk‑resilience.
(Photograph source: LeiTech IFA Reporting Team on-site)
Having covered overseas expos such as CES and IFA for years, Leitech has observed several phases of evolution in Chinese enterprises’ global expansion.
In the earliest phase, companies focused on OEM foreign trade, earning slim processing margins through hard labour. Later came the era of low‑cost white‑label exports, where brands chased sales volume via cost‑performance yet suffered thin profit margins and low competitive moats.
In recent years, Leitech has witnessed a growing number of Chinese brands venturing overseas with self‑developed technologies and original products. They now compete on R&D, user experience and brand influence, and even begin to set industry standards.
From Leitech’s (ID: leitech) perspective, there will always be competitors willing to undercut prices. Only moats built on technology and brand equity allow companies to gain a firm foothold in global markets and secure fair pricing power and profits. This represents what Chinese brands’ global expansion ought to look like.
AliExpress’s debut appearance at IFA means far more than just attending another trade show.
It serves as a clear signal: Chinese brands going global have moved past isolated, individual efforts and entered a new era where platforms provide the stage and brands unite for collective growth.
As reflected in the large group photo taken on‑site, Chinese brands can go further and steadier when they stand together.
From September 4–8, the world’s largest home appliance and consumer electronics exhibition—IFA 2026—is being held in Berlin.
As the “most influential new media outlet covering IFA” globally—widely recognized for its authoritative AI-focused reporting—LeiTech dispatched its largest-ever, highest-caliber reporting team to Berlin this year. Deploying a “2+N” model—two live hosts plus multiple on-site editors and remote editorial staff—it is delivering real-time, multi-dimensional, and first-hand coverage of IFA 2026. Key coverage themes include AI Agents integrated with appliances and hardware, robotics technology applied to home environments, emerging digital lifestyle trends across people, vehicles, and homes, and Chinese brands’ global stage presence.
LeiTech’s IFA 2026 Reporting Team is actively conducting on-the-ground coverage in Berlin—stay tuned!
