In June 2026, Amazon Global Store Asia Pacific Innovation Center released the “2026 White Paper on China's Export Cross-border E-commerce Development Trends - AI Reshaping a New Paradigm for Going Overseas”. This is the eighth release in this series of annual white papers, and the first time that an AI theme has become a core narrative framework. One notable data is that more than 98% of the Chinese sellers surveyed already use AI tools in their daily operations, but there are still a few sellers who have actually upgraded their business structure and moved from efficiency improvement to systematic restructuring.

Every year, I contact hundreds of sellers who work on Amazon and ask them “Are you a brand?”, and 8 out of 10 people will answer “Yes, I have registered a trademark and made an A+ page. “Then I'll go on to the question: “What's your repurchase rate?”“Have you set up an independent user community or membership system?In addition to the Amazon platform, on which channels do you promote your brand?Do you have an exclusive marketing campaign for old users?

For traditional manufacturing enterprises, expanding cross-border business is never simply adding a sales channel, but also simultaneously promoting systematic optimization of organization, operation, products, and brand expression. This is also the core point that many traditional manufacturing sellers can easily underestimate in the initial stage — ostensibly it is opening, listing, and delivery; in fact, what really determines whether it can run steadily and for a long time in the future is the overall collaborative ability behind it.

From my more than 10 years of experience working for the Fortune 500, to the explosion of startup brands and my consulting career, whether serving the Fortune 500 or Amazon sellers, I have always believed in one core concept: “break the sky with a needle.” Many Amazon sellers are often confused: “The quality of my products is not bad, and the images cost a lot of money. Why am I still in a price war, and users have no loyalty?” The core reason is that your “needle” isn't sharp enough. The so-called differentiation did not pierce the most painful point of a specific user group. A real brand requires differentiation and an explosive strategy. Instead of being an all-encompassing “Swiss Army Knife,” it concentrates all energy on one of the most acute pain points and the most accurate group of people. Next, I'll take apart this three-step “find a needle, sharpen a needle, and stab the sky” method that you can use right away, based on an actual Amazon case.