Welcome to this week’s EVOLVE Dispatch

In this edition:

• Pre-Consumers, TEMU and the new reality for commerce leaders

• Community Round Up - Event in Portugal, Voices Podcast

• The Week Ahead

Markets & Perspective

Pre-Consumers, Temu, and the New Reality for Commerce Leaders

“Papai, my friends buy from TEMU. Can we?”

My daughters, aged 12 and 10, have asked me this more than once.

We live in Denmark, one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

They don’t have Instagram or TikTok, I've kept those doors closed, but they have access to YouTube and app stores. That’s enough.

TEMU, after all, was one of the biggest advertisers on Google and Meta over the past year.
Their presence is unavoidable.

And just last week, they pulled their ads across key platforms, under growing regulatory pressure in the US and Europe.

When my daughters ask about TEMU, I try not to just say no but to ask:

“Is it a real need or just a wish?”

It opens the door for a broader conversation at home about fair trade, responsible consumption, and the reality of supply chains.

Because while I never bought anything from TEMU, we do own products manufactured in Asia:

• The Dell laptop I'm writing this newsletter on, assembled in Brazil with parts from China and Malaysia.

• The office chair, sold by a Danish company but is produced in China.

The truth is: globalisation is in everything we touch.

Is everything made in China bad? Is everything bought cheaply unethical?
It’s more complicated than black and white.

A recent Danish survey showed that nearly 50% of children between 9 and 14 have either bought from TEMU or received a TEMU product.
(Source: Danish Consumer Council, Tænk, 2025)

The platform’s low prices and gamified experience appeal directly to young pre-consumer children who are not yet full consumers but already heavily influence household purchases.

At that age, comparison starts and with it comes social pressure.
Consumption habits start forming not at 18, but at 10.

And businesses need to pay attention.

• Ad Ecosystem Impact: TEMU and Shein have dominated paid media. TEMU alone spent over $2 billion on advertising globally in 2024.
  (Source: SensorTower, 2025)
  Their sudden withdrawal is causing ripples in Google, Meta, and TikTok’s ad revenues.

• Supply Chain Scrutiny:
  Europe is moving forward with the Digital Product Passport (DPP) regulation.
  From 2026, products like textiles and electronics will require a detailed digital record: origin, materials, environmental impact, and end-of-life instructions.
  (Source: European Commission, April 2025)

• Consumer Trust Shift:
  63% of Gen Z consumers globally say they prefer brands that can prove ethical sourcing and transparency.
  (Source: McKinsey Future of Commerce Report, 2025)

When cheap, trendy products can be delivered across borders faster than local goods, it's not just a consumer trend, it's a systemic shift:

Kids are no longer passive observers.
They are active participants, even if they don't yet have a credit card.

Here at EVOLVE, this matters.
This isn’t just about consumer protection, it's about reshaping global supply chains, advertising strategies, and consumer expectations.

✅ For brands and advertisers, it means rethinking how and where they spend. (Imagine Google and Meta losing some of their biggest ad buyers because of these shifts.)

✅ For companies selling physical goods, it means building traceable, transparent supply chains that can survive new European regulations.

✅ For communities like EVOLVE, it means preparing senior leaders to navigate this transformation, not only in marketing and commerce, but in how trust is built with future customers.

The conversations we have at home reflect the conversations we need to be having in boardrooms.

To conclude my thoughts this week

The future of commerce isn’t arriving when these kids turn 18. It’s already here, shaped by the choices they influence, the platforms they engage with, and the expectations they’re quietly setting.

None of us can predict every shift.
But being part of a community where we exchange knowledge, perspectives, and experiences, that's how we stay capable of navigating it.

At EVOLVE, this is what we build together.
Not by having all the answers, but by not facing the questions alone.

Let’s keep moving.

Carlos Monteiro - Founder
EVOLVE Commerce Club

The past week at EVOLVE - Community Roundup

EVOLVE at DGT Innovation, Lisbon

Last week, EVOLVE had the privilege to collaborate with Flavio Horta at DGT Innovation Lisbon, a highly curated event covering innovation and digital business. Held at Taguspark in Lisbon, the event brought together over 800 executives and professionals for two days of insights, trends, and networking​

From Dennis Yu, one of the most respected voices in performance marketing, to Joeri Blast, pushing the boundaries of AI-driven commerce, the quality of the discussions matched the ambition of the audience.

We also contributed.

We hosted a panel featuring two of our own members, Diego Borgo and Renée Hartmann, both recognised as top voices in their fields.

Together, we explored how AI is already reshaping brand loyalty, what it means to build community-led commerce strategies, and why cross-market collaboration is becoming a defining skill for senior leaders.

This is what EVOLVE stands for.

When you're part of our club, you're not just attending events, you're invited to create, to connect, and to lead.

We work with our community partners to open real doors across markets, creating unmatched opportunities for our members to meet, share, and grow together.

Thank you to all who joined us in Lisbon.
Join The #1 Private Community For Senior Commerce Professionals

EVOLVE Voices

Sylvia Ng’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and rethinking what’s possible both in life and logistics. After a celebrated career leading growth at tech giants like Shopify, Google, and eBay, Sylvia faced a breast cancer diagnosis that forced her to slow down and reevaluate everything. What followed was not only a powerful personal transformation but a sharpened focus on solving one of retail’s biggest pain points: returns. In this episode, Sylvia shares how that clarity led to founding ReturnBear, why she believes inefficiencies are personal, and how simplicity, data, and customer empathy fuel both her work and her worldview. Sylvia is the Founder and CEO of ReturnBear, Canada’s first nationwide returns drop-off network. A systems thinker by training and a champion of women in STEM, Sylvia is also the founder of gift box company Amadera, supporting others facing cancer. Whether she’s reimagining supply chains or empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs, Sylvia’s mission is simple: fix what’s broken and do it with heart. For more about their recent expansion into Australia

The Week Ahead

Expert Session -

April 30th 1 pm CET

This week we have Davor Anci,c EVOLVE Club member and founder of Velebit.ai 

Davor Ancic – Founder of Velebit A.I.

Davor Ancic is the founder of Velebit A.I., a company that specialises in AI solutions to help businesses optimise operations and drive growth. With over a decade of experience in artificial intelligence and data science, Davor has worked across various industries, enabling organisations to harness the power of AI for smarter decision-making and operational efficiency.

Topics We will Discuss:

• AI for Business Transformation: Practical applications of AI to enhance business operations.

• Data-Driven Strategies: How to leverage AI for actionable insights and smarter decisions.

• AI in E-Commerce: Using AI to improve customer experience and streamline operations.

• Ethical AI: Addressing privacy concerns, data usage, and the societal impact of AI.

Time to EVOLVE

Keep the conversation going in our WhatsApp group and exclusive Mighty Networks community—that’s where real connections happen.

Make sure to follow our newsletter, where we highlight what’s shaping our club. In the coming months, we’ll be announcing new partnerships, events, meetups, and the opportunities our members are creating together.

Interested in partnering with EVOLVE? Reach out at [email protected] or [email protected].

We don’t need more content—we need better ways to connect humans.

The future is bright. Let’s build it together.

#EVOLVE

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