For Chinese companies looking to enter the Turkish retail market, local marketplaces such as Trendyol and Hepsiburada are the "shelf" closest to the consumer, while social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are the "stage" that introduces the brand and sparks interest. Focusing on only one of these two sides usually delivers half a result when trying to reach Turkish consumers; when both are designed together, the cycle of being seen, trusted, purchased and recommended is complete. In this article we cover the path for Chinese companies to reach Turkish consumers from start to finish: Turkish consumers' shopping habits, choosing the right marketplace, the company and tax infrastructure needed before opening a store, product page localization, review and Q&A management, driving traffic from social media to your store, and planning for major campaign periods. By the end, you will see clearly what you need to do to start selling in Turkey from scratch.
How do Turkish consumers shop? Understanding the decision journey
Turkish consumers' online shopping habits are highly mature. A typical purchase journey goes like this: the product is seen on Instagram or TikTok, review videos are watched on YouTube or social media, then prices are compared and reviews read on Trendyol or Hepsiburada, and finally the order is placed with the store offering fast shipping and reliable after-sales service. In other words, social media sparks interest, the marketplace completes the sale, and customer reviews and recommendations play a decisive role at every stage. Your brand needs to appear consistently at each step of this journey.
Turkish consumers care about value for money, but they value a sense of trust just as much. Installment options, official invoices, warranty commitments, fast delivery and an easy return process directly affect the purchase decision. For Chinese brands, product strength and price advantage are natural weapons; but to truly win over Turkish consumers, they also need to localize in language, service and after-sales support. Consumers should feel they are shopping with a trustworthy local brand. At Yeni İpekyolu (New Silk Road), we help you bring this localization to life at every brand touchpoint.
Trendyol or Hepsiburada? Comparing marketplace options
Trendyol and Hepsiburada are Turkey's best-known general marketplaces; platforms such as Amazon Turkey, n11 and Çiçeksepeti are also among the important channels. Trendyol has a large, young user base in fashion, cosmetics, home and everyday consumer goods, while Hepsiburada enjoys strong recognition in electronics, home appliances and technology products. The competitive landscape and user profile of each category vary across platforms, so your product's features, price positioning and target audience should be evaluated together when choosing. The right starting point determines how quickly you learn in the first months.
Many brands prefer a "one main channel, several supporting channels" approach: they first concentrate resources on the platform best suited to their product, build a showcase store and accumulate sales and reviews, then gradually expand to other marketplaces. Platforms' commission rates, payment terms and logistics rules are set by platform policies and updated from time to time. At Yeni İpekyolu we confirm the current rules for you, analyze the platforms side by side and work with you to identify the right starting point so your resources are not spread too thin. Your initial investment is thus focused on the channel that will deliver the fastest return.
What preparations are needed to sell on Trendyol and Hepsiburada?
To open a seller store on Turkish marketplaces, you generally need to apply as a company or sole proprietorship registered in Turkey and have basic infrastructure such as a tax number and e-invoicing in place. That is why many Chinese companies first set up a company in Turkey or partner with a local distributor. Application requirements and required documents are determined by the platforms and current regulations; we confirm the current requirements for you and complete preliminary steps together, such as company formation, tax registration and opening a bank account. A properly established infrastructure makes the store approval process and subsequent operations much smoother.
Alongside the company infrastructure, stock and logistics planning should be done in advance. Will products be held in a warehouse in Turkey or shipped from abroad? Which conformity documents, product labels and user instructions are required for import? For categories such as electrical and electronic products, children's products and cosmetics, specific certification and marking requirements may also apply. A Turkish user manual and warranty certificate are indispensable in many categories. Clarifying these issues from the start prevents products from being delisted due to compliance problems after the store goes live.
- A company or local partner in Turkey
- Tax number, e-invoicing infrastructure and bank account
- Stock plan: local warehouse or shipping from abroad
- Certificates and labels suited to the category
- Turkish user manual and warranty certificate
- Turkish customer service and return process
How to prepare a marketplace product page: localization tips
The product page is the real battleground of e-commerce sales. The title should not be a literal translation of the Chinese title; it should contain the keywords Turkish consumers actually search for. The description should highlight the benefits users care about in short paragraphs and bullet points; technical specifications must be accurate, and units of measurement and size charts should follow local conventions. The main image should be clear and professional, while supporting images should show usage scenarios, details and size comparisons. Where possible, adding a short product video noticeably increases conversion. Every detail should answer the question in the consumer's mind before they ask it.
Language quality directly affects trust. Awkward, broken machine translation leads consumers to doubt product quality and after-sales service. Yeni İpekyolu's e-commerce localization team rewrites titles and descriptions at native level, optimizes keywords based on in-platform search habits and keeps brand terminology consistent across all products. Your store looks professional and trustworthy and competes on the same level as Turkey's well-known domestic brands. This work also helps your advertising budget deliver higher conversion.
How to build trust through review and Q&A management
On Turkish marketplaces, product reviews and customer Q&A are among the information consumers look at most when deciding. Because a newly opened store has no reviews at first, its conversion rate is usually low; that is why you need to earn the first genuine positive reviews through a quality product experience, careful packaging and on-time delivery. Adding a Turkish thank-you card with usage information and contact channels to the package is a simple but effective method. Asking customers for feedback in line with platform rules also naturally increases the number of reviews.
Customer questions should be answered quickly and professionally, because every answer is also read by potential buyers who come later. Rather than avoiding negative reviews, responding politely and offering a concrete solution shows that the brand takes responsibility and often increases trust. At Yeni İpekyolu we provide Turkish customer service support covering marketplace Q&A, order requests, return and exchange communication, and negative review management. This way, every customer experiences professionalism and respect in their interactions with your brand.
Driving traffic to your marketplace store with social media and reaching Turkish consumers
Social media is the most important external traffic source for marketplace stores. Instagram is ideal for building brand image and showing product details, TikTok for creating buzz and spreading quickly with short videos, YouTube for in-depth reviews and long-term search traffic, and Google search ads for capturing high-intent users actively searching for the product. Content on every platform should include a clear link to the store; when users see a product they like, they should be able to go to the order page with a single tap. Consistent visuals and messages across channels make the brand easier to remember.
Partnering with local content creators is also an effective way to drive traffic. Creators can introduce the product in their videos and share a store link or a personal discount code, making the impact of the collaboration easy to measure. We recommend analyzing social media data together with store sales data to identify the content and channels that actually bring in orders, then concentrating resources there. Yeni İpekyolu coordinates social media management, creator partnerships and marketplace store operations under one roof so that every link in the chain works together.
Campaign period planning and implementation checklist
E-commerce in Turkey has several major peak periods throughout the year: Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Mother's Day, back to school, the big sales season in November and the run-up to New Year. Marketplaces usually announce major campaigns in advance and open seller applications. Brands need to prepare stock ahead of time, finalize campaign visuals, plan warm-up content on social media and make sure customer service and logistics can handle the surge in orders. Brands that plan ahead achieve a significant leap in both sales and in-platform ranking during these periods.
With its Istanbul-based team, Yeni İpekyolu offers Chinese companies a one-stop service from company formation to marketplace applications, from product page localization to store operations and social media marketing. We know both the working pace of Chinese companies and the expectations of Turkish consumers closely; this lets us help you avoid unnecessary trial and error and grow your sales quickly. Because you work with Chinese reporting and a single project manager, you can easily follow your entire Turkish operation from headquarters. Contact us today to prepare a growth plan tailored to you for reaching Turkish consumers.
- Choose your main marketplace and priority category
- Complete company, tax and logistics preparations
- Localize product titles, descriptions and images
- Set up Turkish customer service and review management
- Drive traffic to your store with social media and content creators
- Plan your annual campaign calendar in advance
Frequently asked questions
Can a company in China open a store on Trendyol directly?
Marketplaces have specific requirements for sellers; a company registered in Turkey or a local partner is generally required, and some platforms also have special programs for overseas sellers. The exact requirements depend on the platform's current policy; we confirm the current situation for you and recommend the most suitable route.
Does product information have to be in Turkish?
Yes. Product titles, descriptions, user manuals and labels aimed at Turkish consumers should be in Turkish. This is both a platform and regulatory requirement and a precondition for earning consumer trust.
How does a new store get its first reviews?
With a quality product, careful packaging, fast delivery and sincere after-sales service, plus a Turkish thank-you card in the package. Together with the initial traffic from social media and content creators, reviews build up naturally.
How should the budget be split between social media and marketplace ads?
There is no single formula; it depends on the category, stage and goal. At the start, the focus is usually on awareness and testing, and then the budget is shifted toward the channel delivering the best conversion based on the data. Yeni İpekyolu prepares an allocation plan tailored to you.