AliExpress is piloting Elite, an invitation-only VIP program for customers who spend over $800 a year, in Australia, the UK, Germany, and Spain, according to Juro Osawa at The Information. Unlike Amazon Prime, Elite costs nothing, and members get an extra 5% off many products, customer service at any hour, and easier returns. AliExpress plans to add more European markets and South Korea next month and bring Elite to the US at an undecided date, aiming for a million members before the year is out. Elite belongs to a wider effort to make AliExpress work more like Amazon, including next-day delivery tests from local warehouses in Madrid, Paris, and Warsaw, now that tariffs and new EU parcel fees have undercut cheap direct-from-China shipping.
