Global fast fashion giant Shein has hit second place just behind Myer in terms of the most-visited apparel and fashion websites in Australia.
New Semrush data shows Shein’s total website traffic was 9.38 million in October 2025. This is 2 million below Myer’s total website traffic in October, at 11.51 million.
Shein has creeped ahead of The Iconic and David Jones, which are both in third and fourth place respectively. The Iconic’s website traffic is up 7.54 per cent from September, hitting 8.99 million. David Jones’ traffic dropped month-on-month by 17 per cent, hitting 6.58 million.
Meanwhile, Cotton On has surged into fifth place, with website traffic of 4.71 million. This is up by 1.7 per cent month-on-month and over 150 per cent above the same month last year.
These website rankings don't include app visits, which could shake-up total online traffic per brand or retailer. Shein, Myer, David Jones, The Iconic and Cotton On each have their own dedicated apps.
In the same year-on-year terms, the other four in the top five also lifted website traffic in high double digits. David Jones’ online traffic is up 82.48 per cent, with The Iconic up 58.65 per cent, Shein up 56.85 per cent and Myer up 31.39 per cent.
Shein’s surge to the top after just four years in the Australia market has led to many in market calling for government intervention. Earlier this year, the then-CEO of Australian Fashion Council, Jaana Quaintance-James, told Ragtrader there is a concern about the dominance of international online marketplaces like Shein and its impact on local brands.
These comments came after the AFC tabled a federal budget submission in 2024, calling for an inquiry into whether the growth in global platforms like Shein and Temu has been enabled by unfair business practices that is creating an “unfair playing field”, with Quaintance-James raising concerns around alleged human rights violations, tax avoidance and monopolistic supply chain behaviours.
“To level the playing field, government support is needed to hold global marketplaces accountable,” Quaintance-James said. “The AFC is calling for an inquiry into Overseas Online Marketplaces that will advise policy changes to address tax loopholes, enforce ethical sourcing standards, and invest in local manufacturing and innovation.”
One key point has been to amend the way duties are paid by international incumbents. For packages coming into Australia, those with a total value below A$1,000 do not pay duty payments, with Shein’s ultra low prices indicating it will not pay duties given it ships individual packages from overseas warehouses.
Following the axing of the same de minimis exemption on duty payments in the United States (for goods below US$800), Shein shifted focus away from America earlier this year and has been “flooding” the Australian market with marketing dollars.
In the June quarter of 2025, Shein ranked in the top 25 while Temu was the largest digital advertiser in Australia, both according to analysis by market intelligence company Sensor Tower.
“Temu and Shein are pouring money into Meta, Google, YouTube and app ads in Australia, flooding the market,” Ori Gold, CEO & co-founder, Bench Media, said.
“Since the US became too hard with tariffs, they’ve shifted focus here. It’s already driving up ad costs and making life harder for local brands.
“More competition for attention, higher CPMs, tighter margins, and a shake-up in who can afford to play.”
Shein increased its ad spend in Australia by up 50 per cent in the June quarter and Temu by 20 per cent, according to the analysis by Sensor Tower.
The analysts say Sheinʼs increase in spend is notable as the Chinese e-tailer pulled back by 35 per cent on advertising spend in March 2025 but has since accelerated spend in Australia as the e-tailer has pivoted from advertising in the US.
Shein aside, Semrush data also showed a few booms in website traffic among local fashion brands between October 2024 and October 2025.
Princess Polly has lifted its monthly website traffic to 3.12 million, up 328 per cent year-on-year. New Zealand’s Glassons is up 235 per cent to 2.74 million, while Kookai has boomed by 454 per cent to 2.45 million.
Other notable lifts in the top 20 include Lululemon (215.6 per cent), Universal Store (222 per cent), Dissh (450 per cent) and Meshki (466 per cent).
Meanwhile, Australian-born brand Billy J has risen into the top 20 with a 216 per cent year-on-year lift in website traffic to 1.8 million.