Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.

LightInTheBox disclosed 52 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. LightInTheBox reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2023

Risk Distribution

31% Finance & Corporate

17% Legal & Regulatory

17% Production

15% Ability to Sell

12% Tech & Innovation

8% Macro & Political

Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.

Risk Change Over Time

2020

S&P500 Average

Sector Average

Risks removed

Risks added

Risks changed

LightInTheBox Risk Factors

New Risk (0)

Risk Changed (0)

Risk Removed (0)

No changes from previous report

The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.

The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.

Risk Highlights Q4, 2023

Main Risk Category

Finance & Corporate

With 16 Risks

Finance & Corporate

With 16 Risks

Number of Disclosed Risks

-1

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

-1

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

Recent Changes

0Risks added

1Risks removed

4Risks changed

Since Dec 2023

0Risks added

1Risks removed

4Risks changed

Since Dec 2023

Number of Risk Changed

-9

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 1

-9

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 1

See the risk highlights of LightInTheBox in the last period.

Risk Word Cloud

The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 52

Finance & Corporate

Total Risks: 16/52 (31%)Below Sector Average

Share Price & Shareholder Rights4 | 7.7%

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1

You may face difficulties in protecting your interests and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law, primarily operate our business through our subsidiaries in different countries and a majority of our officers reside outside the United States.

We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands and primarily conduct our online retailing business through our subsidiaries in different countries. Most of our directors and officers reside outside the United States and all or a substantial portion of their assets are located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to effect service of process within the United States upon us or these persons, or to bring an original action against us or against these individuals in a Cayman Islands or PRC court in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of the jurisdictions where we operate may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. Shareholder claims or regulatory investigation that are common in the United States generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in other jurisdictions. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to providing information needed for regulatory investigations or litigation initiated outside China. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States may not be efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or Article 177, which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. While detailed interpretation of or implementation rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests. There is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments), a judgment obtained in such jurisdiction will be recognized and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands at common law, without any re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, provided such judgment (a) is given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction, (b) imposes on the judgment debtor a liability to pay a liquidated sum for which the judgment has been given, (c) is final, (d) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty, and (e) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands. However, the Cayman Islands courts are unlikely to enforce a judgment obtained from the U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities law if such judgment is determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands to give rise to obligations to make payments that are penal or punitive in nature. Because such a determination has not yet been made by a court of the Cayman Islands, it is uncertain whether such civil liability judgments from U.S. courts would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, and by the Companies Act (As Revised) and common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against our directors and us, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands have a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and provide significantly less protection to investors. In addition, shareholders of Cayman Islands companies may not have stand to initiate a shareholder derivative action before the federal courts of the United States. As a result, your ability to protect your interests if you are harmed in a manner that would otherwise enable you to sue in a United States federal court may be limited to direct shareholder lawsuits. As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulties in protecting their interests through actions against our management, directors or major shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2

You may not have the same voting rights as the holders of our ordinary shares and may not receive voting materials in time to be able to exercise your right to vote.

Except as described in the deposit agreement, holders of the ADSs are not able to exercise voting rights attaching to the shares evidenced by the ADSs. You have a right to instruct the depositary how to exercise those voting rights. However, the depository or its nominee may not successfully comply with your instructions or intentions. You may not receive voting materials in time to instruct the depositary to vote, and it is possible that you, or persons who hold their ADSs through brokers, dealers or other third parties, will not have the opportunity to exercise a right to vote.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3

We are exempted from certain corporate governance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.

We are exempted from certain corporate governance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange by virtue of being a foreign private issuer. We are required to provide a brief description of the significant differences between our corporate governance practices and the corporate governance practices required to be followed by U.S. domestic companies under the New York Stock Exchange. The standards applicable to us are considerably different than the standards applied to U.S. domestic issuers. For instance, we are not required to: - have a majority of the board of directors be independent (other than due to the requirements for the audit committee under the Exchange Act);- have a minimum of three members in our audit committee;- have a compensation committee, a nominating or corporate governance committee;- have regularly scheduled executive sessions with only independent directors;- have executive session of solely independent directors each year; or - adopt and disclose a code of business conduct and ethics for directors, officers and employees. We have relied on and intend to continue to rely on some of these exemptions. As a result, you may not be provided with the benefits of certain corporate governance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4

Changed

Our fifth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

Our fifth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contains provisions limiting the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions and provisions that could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. Furthermore, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares, in the form of ADSs or otherwise. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of the ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

Accounting & Financial Operations5 | 9.6%

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1

Our results of operations are subject to quarterly fluctuations due to a number of factors that could adversely affect our business and the trading price of the ADSs.

We experience seasonality in our business, reflecting seasonal fluctuations in online and offline retail patterns in general and for our products. For example, product sales may be higher in the fourth quarter of a calendar year due to the Christmas holidays, and sales may be lower in the first quarter due to the decrease in consumers' desire to purchase after the holiday seasons. Our product mix may experience quarterly shifts which may cause our margins to fluctuate from quarter to quarter. Due to the foregoing factors, our operating results in one or more future quarters may fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors. In such event, the trading price of the ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2

We have no present plan to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, and you may only rely on price appreciation of our ADSs for return on your investment.

Since our inception, we have not declared or paid any dividends on our ordinary shares. Since we intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business, we have no present plan to pay any dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in our ADSs as a source for any future dividend income. Any future determination to pay dividends will be made at the sole discretion of our board of directors and may be based on a number of factors, including our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant. If we pay any dividends, we will pay the ADS holders to the same extent as holders of our ordinary shares, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See "Item 12. Description of Securities Other Than Equity Securities-D. American Depositary Shares." Accordingly, the return on your investment in our ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of our ADSs. There is no guarantee that our ADSs will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in our ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in our ADSs.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud and investors' confidence in our company and the market price of the ADSs may be adversely affected.

We are subject to the reporting obligations under the U.S. securities laws. As required under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the SEC has adopted rules requiring public companies to include a report of management on the effectiveness of such companies' internal control over financial reporting in its annual report. Our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2023, but we cannot assure you that in the future we will not identify material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud might not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As a result, if we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or should we be unable to prevent or detect material misstatements due to error or fraud on a timely basis, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which in turn could harm our business, results of operations and negatively impact the market price of our ADSs and/or ordinary shares, and harm our reputation. Furthermore, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur considerable costs and to use significant management time and the other resources to comply with these reporting requirements.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4

We rely on certain key operating metrics to evaluate the performance of our business, and perceived inaccuracies in such metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.

We rely on certain key operating metrics to evaluate the performance of our business. Our operating metrics may differ from estimates published by third parties or from similarly titled metrics used by other companies due to differences in methodology and assumptions. If these metrics are perceived to be inaccurate by investors or investors make investment decisions based on operating metrics we disclosed but with their own methodology and assumptions or those published or used by third parties or other companies, our reputation may be harmed, which could negatively affect our business, and we may also face potential lawsuits or disputes.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5

We have incurred net losses and experienced net current liabilities and negative cash flow from operating activities in the past. We may incur net losses and experience net current liabilities and negative cash flow from operating activities and, as a result, we may need to obtain additional capital in the future.

We incurred loss from operations of $16.1 million, $14.2 million and $10.4 million in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively, and we may incur losses in the future. We experienced net current liabilities of $38.1 million and $47.5 million as of December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively, and we may continue to experience net current liabilities in the future. We generated net cash outflow of $1.8 million from operating activities in 2021, net cash inflow of $35.8 million from operating activities in 2022, and net cash outflow of $20.7 million from operating activities in 2023, respectively, and we may experience negative cash flows in the future. We expect our costs and expenses, especially our selling and marketing expenses, to increase as we expand our operations. Our ability to achieve and maintain profitability and positive cash flow from operating activities depends on various factors, including but not limited to, the acceptance of our products by customers, the growth and maintenance of our customer base, our ability to control our costs and expenses and grow our revenues and the effectiveness of our selling and marketing activities. We may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability or positive cash flow from operating activities, and if we achieve positive operating cash flow, it may not be sufficient to satisfy our anticipated capital expenditures and other cash needs. As such, we may not be able to fund our operating expenses and expenditures and may be unable to fulfill our financial obligations as they become due, which may result in voluntary or involuntary dissolution or liquidation proceeding of our Company and a total loss of your investment. Historically, we have financed our operations to date primarily with proceeds from the sale of equity securities and cash inflow from operating activities. As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $71.7 million in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash. We expect that our existing cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash will be sufficient to fund our capital requirements for at least the next 12 months. However, we may need to raise additional capital to fund our continued operations. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to obtain sufficient capital on acceptable terms, or at all, could significantly harm our business, financial condition and prospects.

Debt & Financing2 | 3.8%

Debt & Financing - Risk 1

You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary deem it advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.

Debt & Financing - Risk 2

We may need additional capital, and the sale of additional ADSs or other equity securities or incurrence of additional indebtedness could result in additional dilution to our shareholders or increase our debt service obligations.

Historically, we relied principally on the issuance of our preferred shares, convertible notes and ADRs to fund our operations and capital expansion needs. We may require additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other future developments, including any investments or acquisitions we may pursue. If our resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity, equity-linked or debt securities or enter into a credit facility. The sale of additional equity securities could result in additional dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. It is uncertain whether financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

Corporate Activity and Growth5 | 9.6%

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1

We may engage in acquisitions that may present integration challenges, disrupt our business and lower our operating results and the value of your investment.

As part of our business strategy, we regularly evaluate investments in, mergers with or acquisitions of, complementary businesses, joint ventures, services and technologies. Acquisitions and investments involve numerous risks, including: - potential failure to achieve the expected benefits of the combination or acquisition;- difficulties in and the cost of integrating operations, technologies, services and personnel; and - potential write-offs or impairment loss of acquired assets or investments or related goodwill. In addition, if we finance acquisitions by issuing equity or convertible debt securities, our existing shareholders may be diluted, which could affect the market price of the ADSs. For example, we issued convertible promissory notes in connection with the Ezbuy acquisition, the conversion of such convertible promissory notes to ADSs has diluted the ownership interests of existing shareholders. Any sales in the public market of our ADSs issuable upon such conversion of the convertible promissory note could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our ADSs. Further, if we fail to properly evaluate and execute acquisitions or investments, our business and prospects may be seriously harmed and the value of your investment may decline. Furthermore, we may fail to identify or secure suitable acquisition opportunities, or our competitors may capitalize on such opportunities before we do, which could impair our ability to compete with our competitors and adversely affect our growth prospects and results of operations.

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2

Our growth depends on expanding in various geographic markets and such expansion may pose new logistical, operational and marketing challenges that may materially and adversely affect our business prospects.

We plan to further increase the sales of our products by deepening our penetration of geographic markets globally. Although our products are sold to customers in over 140 countries and territories, we still have relatively limited experience in many countries in the world. It is costly to establish, develop and maintain international operations, websites and mobile applications and promote our brand internationally. The expansion of product sales into such geographic markets may not be profitable on a sustained basis for many reasons including, but not limited to: - local economic and political conditions;- government regulation of online retail, other online services and electronic devices and restrictive governmental actions (such as trade protection measures, including export duties and quotas and custom duties and tariffs), nationalization and restrictions on foreign ownership;- restrictions on sales or distribution of certain products or services and uncertainty regarding intellectual property rights and liability for products, services and content on our websites and mobile applications or social marketing channels;- business licensing or certification requirements, such as for imports, exports and electronic devices;- limited fulfillment and technology infrastructure;- laws and regulations regarding consumer protection, import and export requirements, duties, tariffs, other trade-related barriers or restrictions, data protection, privacy, network security, encryption and restrictions on pricing or discounts;- lower levels of Internet use;- lower levels of consumer spending and fewer growth opportunities compared to our current geographic markets;- lower levels of credit card usage and increased payment risk; and - difficulty in staffing, developing and managing foreign operations as a result of language and cultural differences. As we expand the sale of our products to other countries, competition will intensify. Local companies may have a substantial competitive advantage because of their greater understanding of, and focus on, local consumers, as well as their more established local brand names. This may benefit from reduced logistics costs and marketing. We may not be able to hire, train, retain and manage required personnel, which may limit our international growth. As new markets have different business practices and consumer demand may vary significantly by region, our experience in the geographic markets on which we currently focus may not be applicable in other parts of the world. For example, we may need to build infrastructure in foreign countries to remain competitive in such markets. Furthermore, deepening our geographic penetration entails increased complexity for our managers and employees including, but not limited to, difficulties associated with managing a more diverse customer base, the challenges of meeting different regulatory regimes and requirements, partnering with different local logistics providers and other business partners, managing more complex marketing efforts and providing customer support in different languages. To the extent that we cannot successfully expand our operations in other geographic markets, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3

Our failure to quickly identify and adapt to changing industry conditions may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The online and offline retail industries are subject to changing consumer preferences and industry conditions. This is particularly true with respect to products such as apparel, small accessories and gadgets, electronics and communication devices and home garden products. Consequently, we must stay abreast of emerging fashion, lifestyle, design, technological and other industry and consumer trends. This requires timely collection of market feedback, accurate assessments of market trends, deep understanding of industry dynamics and flexible manufacturing capabilities. For example, we experienced certain cost pressure and challenging global economic conditions from the third quarter of 2021, which caused our results to be materially affected by external factors including higher than anticipated digital advertising cost, new European laws on VAT and market regulation on certain products, and changes in consumer sentiment and spending. We must also maintain partnership with suppliers who can adapt to fast-changing consumer preferences. If our existing suppliers cannot meet these requirements effectively, we will need to source from new suppliers, which may be costly and time-consuming. We may overestimate customer demand, face increased overhead expenditures without a corresponding increase in product sales and incur inventory write-downs, which will adversely affect our results of operations. If we cannot offer appealing products on our websites or our mobile applications, our customers may purchase fewer products from us, stop purchasing products from us, visit our websites or our mobile applications less often or stop visiting our websites or our mobile applications all together. Our reputation may also be negatively impacted. If we do not anticipate, identify and respond effectively to consumer preferences or changes in consumer trends at an early stage, we may not be able to generate our desired level of product sales. Failure to properly address these challenges may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 4

Any failure to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively may materially and adversely affect our business and prospects.

We anticipate spending significant resources on marketing, supply chain management, fulfillment infrastructure, technology and other business expenditures as our business continues to grow. We will need to continue to expand, train, manage and motivate our workforce and manage our relationships with customers, suppliers, wholesalers and third-party service providers. Our historical growth and expansion have placed, and will continue to place, a significant strain on our management and resources. If we are not successful in managing our growth or executing our strategies effectively, our business may be materially and adversely affected. As part of our growth strategy, we intend to broaden the range of our product offerings, which will require us to introduce new products, work with different suppliers and address the needs of different kinds of customers. We may incur significant costs in trying to expand our offerings into these new products, or fail to introduce new products that meet anticipated customer demand. We also face risks related to our acquisition in terms of the continued integration of our operations and the planning of and execution of our business strategy following this acquisition. See also "-We may engage in acquisitions that may present integration challenges, disrupt our business and lower our operating results and the value of your investment".

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 5

We face a number of challenges in the operation and expansion of our business.

We face risks and difficulties frequently experienced by companies in our industry, including our potential inability to: - implement our business model and strategy and adapt and modify them as needed;- increase awareness of our brands, protect our reputation and develop customer loyalty;- acquire customers cost-effectively;- manage our expanding operations and offerings, including the integration of any future acquisitions;- build a qualified and high-performance team;- anticipate and adapt to changing conditions in online retail industry globally;- anticipate and adapt to changes in government regulations, industry consolidation, technological developments and other significant competitive and market dynamics;- manage risks related to intellectual property rights;- upgrade our technology or infrastructure to support increased user traffic and product offerings; and - manage partnership with a growing number of suppliers and couriers.

Legal & Regulatory

Total Risks: 9/52 (17%)Below Sector Average

Regulation2 | 3.8%

Regulation - Risk 1

Our business is subject to the laws of various jurisdictions, many of which are unsettled and still developing and could subject us to claims or otherwise harm our business.

As we sell our products to more than 140 countries, we are subject to a variety of laws in various jurisdictions, including Singapore, the United States, the EU, the PRC, Hong Kong and other jurisdictions, including but not limited to laws and regulations regarding data retention, privacy and consumer protection, that are continuously evolving and developing. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to us are often uncertain and may be conflicting. For example, laws relating to the liability of providers of online services for activities of their users and other third parties are currently being tested by a number of claims, including actions based on invasion of privacy and other torts, unfair competition, copyright and trademark infringement and other theories based on the nature and content of the materials searched, the advertisements posted, or the content provided by users. It is also likely that as our business grows and evolves and our solutions are used in a greater number of countries, we will become subject to laws and regulations in additional jurisdictions. It is difficult to predict how existing laws will be applied to our business and the new laws which we may become subject to. As we continue to offer products around the world, we may, from time to time, are subject to actual and threatened claims, litigation, reviews, investigations, and other proceedings, including proceedings instituted by governments and regulatory authorities. Such proceedings may be arising from or in connection with a wide range of issues, including intellectual property infringement claims, contract disputes involving third-party suppliers and consumers of our platforms, consumer protection claims, claims relating to data and privacy protection, employment related cases, cross-border payment and settlement disputes and other matters in the ordinary course of our business. We believe some of these lawsuits are without merit, however, there is uncertainty regarding the timing or ultimate resolution of these lawsuits and legal proceedings in which we are involved. In addition, although we impose contractual terms with suppliers that are intended to prohibit sales of products that might subject us to such claims, we may not be able to detect, enforce, or collect sufficient damages for breaches of such agreements. Also, as a public company, we might subject to securities class actions. We anticipate that we will continue to be subject to legal, regulatory and/or administrative proceedings in the future incidental to our ordinary course of business. There can be no assurance that we will be able to prevail in our defense or reverse any unfavorable judgment, ruling or decision against us. We may also decide to enter into settlements that may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. The litigation process may take a long time, and utilize a material portion of our cash resources and divert management's attention away from the day-to-day operations of our company, all of which could harm our business. As we continue to maintain an international operation, we are subject to litigation or regulatory proceedings in various jurisdictions including the EU, UK, US and Singapore, etc. We are required to maintain a representative office for our operations in Europe and there is no guarantee that our agreements with our representatives will be sufficient to satisfy the regulatory requirements. In addition, we may be prohibited by laws, regulations or government authorities in one jurisdiction from complying with subpoenas, orders or other requests from courts or regulators of other jurisdictions. Our failure or inability to comply with the subpoenas, orders or requests could subject us to fines, penalties or other legal liability, which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations and the trading price of our ordinary shares and/or ADSs. If we are not able to comply with these laws or regulations or if we become liable under these laws or regulations, we could be directly harmed and we may be forced to implement new measures to reduce our exposure to this liability. This may require us to expend substantial resources or to discontinue certain solutions. In addition, the increased attention focused upon liability issues as a result of lawsuits and legislative proposals could harm our reputation or otherwise impact the growth of our business. Any costs incurred as a result of this potential liability could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Regulation - Risk 2

Our subsidiaries or the holding company may be required to obtain approval in the future and may be denied permission from Chinese authorities to list on U.S. exchanges, we may not be able to continue listing on U.S. exchange, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations as well as the trading price of the ADSs.

The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, requires an overseas special purpose vehicle formed for listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC persons or entities to obtain the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle's securities on an overseas stock exchange. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear, and our offshore offerings may ultimately require approval of the CSRC. If the CSRC approval is required, it is uncertain whether we can or how long it will take us to obtain the approval and, even if we obtain such CSRC approval, the approval could be rescinded. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining the CSRC approval for any of our offshore offerings, or a rescission of such approval if obtained by us, would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities, which could include fines and penalties on our operations in China, restrictions or limitations on our ability to pay dividends outside of China, and other forms of sanctions that may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. On February 17, 2023, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the "CSRC") released the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, or the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, and five supporting guidelines, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. The Overseas Listing Trial Measures regulate both direct and indirect overseas offering and listing by PRC domestic companies by adopting a filing-based regulatory regime. Pursuant to the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, domestic companies that seek to offer or list securities overseas, whether directly or indirectly, should fulfill the filing procedures and report relevant information to the CSRC within three working days after submitting listing applications and subsequent amendments. According to the Notice on the Administrative Arrangements for the Filing of the Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies from the CSRC, or the CSRC Notice, the domestic companies that have already been listed overseas before the effective date of the Overseas Listing Trial Measures (i.e. March 31, 2023) shall be deemed to be existing issuers (the "Existing Issuers"). Existing Issuers are not required to complete the filing procedures immediately, and they shall be required to file with the CSRC for any subsequent offerings. Further, according to the CSRC Notice, domestic companies that have obtained approval from overseas regulatory authorities or securities exchanges (for example, the effectiveness of a registration statement for offering and listing in the U.S. has been obtained) for their overseas offering and listing prior March 31, 2023 but have not yet completed their overseas issuance and listing, are granted a six-month transition period from March 31, 2023 to September 30, 2023. Those that complete their overseas offering and listing within such six-month period are deemed to be Existing Issuers and are not required to file with the CSRC for their overseas offerings and listings. Within such six-month transition period, however, if such domestic companies fail to complete their overseas issuance and listing, they shall complete the filing procedures with the CSRC. Since we listed our ordinary share on the NYSE prior to March 31, 2023, we are not required to make the filing with the CSRC pursuant to the Overseas Listing Trial Measures. We shall be required, however, to file with the CSRC for any subsequent offerings. Given the current PRC regulatory environment, it is uncertain whether we or our PRC subsidiaries will be required to obtain approvals from the PRC government to offer securities to foreign investors in the future, and whether we would be able to obtain such approvals. On February 24, 2023, the CSRC and other PRC governmental authorities jointly issued the revised Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (the "Revised Confidentiality Provisions"), which came into effect on March 31, 2023. According to the Revised Confidentiality Provisions, Chinese companies that directly or indirectly conduct overseas offerings and listings, shall strictly abide by the laws and regulations on confidentiality when providing or publicly disclosing, either directly or through their overseas listed entities, materials to securities services providers. As the Revised Confidentiality Provisions has not been enacted for a long time, the interpretation and implementation remain substantially uncertain. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions from the PRC government authorities in connection with the Opinions. However, it is uncertain when and whether the Company will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to remain listed on U.S. exchanges in the future, and even when such permission is obtained, whether it will be rescinded in the future. We have been closely monitoring the development in the regulatory landscape in the PRC, particularly regarding the requirement of approvals, including on a retrospective basis, from the CSRC, the CAC or other PRC authorities, as well as regarding any annual data security review or other procedures that may be imposed on us. If any approval, review or other procedure is in fact required, we are not able to guarantee that we will obtain such approval or complete such review or other procedure timely or at all. For any approval that we may be able to obtain, it could nevertheless be revoked and the terms of its issuance may impose restrictions on our operations and offerings relating to our securities. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding such approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of the ADSs.

Litigation & Legal Liabilities2 | 3.8%

Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1

Our adjustment of corporate structure and business operations and the unwinding of the VIEs may not be liability-free.

We cannot assure you that the disposal of the affiliated entities and unwinding of the related VIE structures in the PRC will not give rise to dispute or liability, or that such disposal, unwinding and discontinuation of operations will not adversely affect our overall results of operations and financial condition. We cannot guarantee that we will not continue to be subject to PRC regulatory inspection and/or review, especially when there remains significant uncertainty as to the scope and manner of the regulatory enforcement. If we become subject to regulatory inspection and/or review by the CSRC, the CAC or other PRC authorities, or are required by them to take any specific actions, it could cause suspension or termination of the future offering of our securities, disruptions to our operations, result in negative publicity regarding our company, and divert our managerial and financial resources.

Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2

Our ADSs may be delisted under the HFCAA if the PCAOB is unable to adequately inspect audit documentation located in China. The delisting of our ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may have a material adverse impact on our listing and trading in the U.S. and the trading prices of our ADSs.

Pursuant to the HFCAA, if the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the "PCAOB"), is unable to inspect an issuer's auditors for two consecutive years, the issuer's securities are prohibited to trade on a U.S. stock exchange. The PCAOB issued the 2021 Determinations on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in: (1) mainland China of the People's Republic of China because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China; and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the 2021 Determinations identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations ("PCAOB Identified Firms"). The Company's current auditor, Marcum Asia CPAs LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this annual report, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the U.S. pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Marcum Asia CPAs LLP, whose audit report is included in this annual report, is headquartered in New York and, as of the date of this annual report, was not included in the list of PCAOB Identified Firms in the 2021 Determinations. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it had signed a Statement of Protocol (the "SOP") with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the "CSRC") and the Ministry of Finance ("MOF") of the People's Republic of China, governing inspections and investigations of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong. Pursuant to the SOP, the PCAOB conducted inspections on select registered public accounting firms subject to the 2021 Determinations in Hong Kong between September and November 2022. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB board announced that it has completed the inspections, determined that it had complete access to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, and voted to vacate the 2021 Determinations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company's ability to retain an auditor subject to the PCAOB inspection and investigation, including but not limited to inspection of the audit working papers related to us, may depend on the relevant positions of U.S. and Chinese regulators. Marcum Asia CPAs LLP's audit working papers related to us are located in China. With respect to audits of companies with operations in China, such as the Company, there are uncertainties about the ability of its auditor to fully cooperate with a request by the PCAOB for audit working papers in China without the approval of Chinese authorities. If the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely the Company's auditor because of a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction, or the PCAOB re-evaluates its determination as a result of any obstruction with the implementation of the SOP, then such lack of inspection or re-evaluation could cause trading in the Company's securities to be prohibited under the HFCAA, and ultimately result in a determination by a securities exchange to delist the Company's securities. Accordingly, the HFCAA calls for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies upon assessing the qualification of their auditors, especially the non-U.S. auditors who are not inspected by the PCAOB. On December 29, 2022, the AHFCAA, was signed into law, which reduced the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCAA from three years to two. As a result, the risks mentioned above have been heightened. If our ADSs are subject to a trading prohibition under the HFCAA or the AHFCAA, the price of our ADSs may be adversely affected, and the threat of such a trading prohibition would also adversely affect their price. If we are unable to be listed on another securities exchange that provides sufficient liquidity, such a trading prohibition may substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ADSs when you wish to do so. Furthermore, if we are able to maintain a listing of our ordinary shares on a non-U.S. exchange, investors owning our ADSs may have to take additional steps to engage in transactions on that exchange, including converting ADSs into ordinary shares and establishing non-U.S. brokerage accounts.

Taxation & Government Incentives3 | 5.8%

Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1

We may be deemed a PRC resident enterprise under the New EIT Law and be subject to PRC taxation on our income.

Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law of the PRC, or the New EIT Law, which was issued in 2007 and amended in 2017 and 2018, and its implementation rules which were issued in 2007, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with "de facto management bodies" within the PRC is considered a resident enterprise and will be subject to the enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on its global income. The implementation rules define the term "de facto management bodies" as "establishments that carry out substantial and overall management and control over the manufacturing and business operations, personnel, accounting, properties, etc. of an enterprise." The State Administration of Taxation, or the SAT, issued the Notice Regarding the Determination of Chinese-Controlled Offshore Incorporated Enterprises as PRC Tax Resident Enterprises on the Basis of De Facto Management Bodies, or Circular 82, on April 22, 2009. Circular 82 provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the "de facto management body" of a Chinese-controlled offshore-incorporated enterprise is located in China. Further to Circular 82, on July 27, 2011, the SAT issued the Administrative Measures of Enterprise Income Tax of Chinese- controlled Offshore Incorporated Resident Enterprises (Trial), or Bulletin No. 45, which took effect on September 1, 2011, to provide more guidance on the implementation of Circular 82. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-Regulations on Tax-PRC Taxation." According to Circular 82, a Chinese-controlled offshore-incorporated enterprise will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having a "de facto management body" in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its worldwide income only if all of the following conditions set forth in Circular 82 are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise's financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise's primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals and board and shareholder resolutions are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC. In addition, Bulletin No. 45 provides clarification on the resident status determination, post-determination administration and competent tax authorities. It also specifies that when provided with a copy of a PRC resident determination certificate from a resident Chinese-controlled offshore-incorporated enterprise, the payer should not withhold 10% income tax when paying certain Chinese-sourced income such as dividends, interest and royalties to the Chinese-controlled offshore- incorporated enterprise. Although both the circular and the bulletin only apply to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises and not those by PRC individuals, the determination criteria set forth in the circular and administration clarification made in the bulletin may reflect the SAT's general position on how the "de facto management body" test should be applied in determining the tax residency status of offshore enterprises and the administration measures should be implemented, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC individuals. Although we do not believe that our legal entities organized outside of the PRC constitute PRC resident enterprises or meet all of the conditions above, it is possible that the PRC tax authorities could reach a different conclusion. In such case, we may be considered a resident enterprise and may therefore be subject to enterprise income tax at a rate of 25% on our global income. If we are considered a resident enterprise and earn income other than dividends from our PRC subsidiary, a 25% enterprise income tax on our global income could significantly increase our tax burden and materially and adversely affect our cash flow and profitability. As uncertainties remain regarding the interpretation and implementation of the New EIT Law and its implementation rules, we cannot assure you that if we are regarded as a PRC resident enterprise, any dividends to be distributed by us to our non-resident enterprise shareholders and ADS holders would not be subject to any PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10%. Similarly, any gain recognized by such non-resident enterprise shareholders or ADS holders on the sale of shares or ADSs, as applicable, may also be subject to PRC withholding tax. Furthermore, if we are considered a PRC resident enterprise and the competent PRC tax authorities consider dividends we pay with respect to our shares or ADSs and the gains realized from the transfer of our shares or ADSs to be income derived from sources within the PRC, such dividends and gains earned by non-resident individuals may be subject to PRC individual income tax at a rate of 20%, unless any such non-resident individuals' jurisdiction has a tax treaty with China that provides for a preferential tax rate or a tax exemption. It is also unclear whether, if we are considered a PRC resident enterprise, holders of our shares or ADSs would be able to claim the benefit of income tax treaties or agreements entered into between the PRC and other countries or areas. If we are required under PRC law to withhold PRC income tax on our dividends payable to our non-PRC shareholders and ADS holders, or the PRC authorities tax gain recognized by such non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders, such investors' investment in our ordinary shares or ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2

Taxation risks could materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

The imposition of indirect taxes, such as sales and use tax, value-added tax, goods and services tax, and business tax is a complex and evolving issue. Many of the statutes and regulations that govern these taxes were established before the expansion of the Internet commerce. In many cases, it is not clear how existing statutes apply to e-commerce. In addition, we may become subject to new regulations as regional and national governments may impose new tax laws or revise existing tax laws, especially with regards to Internet sales. Levy of indirect taxes may increase the costs of our products to our customers and reduce our competitive advantage over our competitors that do not collect such sales taxes. The imposition by regional or national governments of various taxes upon Internet commerce could create administrative burdens for us, place us at a competitive disadvantage if they do not impose similar obligations on all of our online competitors and decrease our future product sales. A successful assertion by one or more foreign countries that we should collect sales or other taxes on the sale of merchandise or services could result in substantial tax liabilities for past product sales, decrease our competitiveness with local retailers, materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may be required to incorporate corporate entities in different jurisdictions around the world in order to deliver our products to such jurisdictions, which may have uncertain tax implications.

Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 3

We may become a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, which could result in adverse United States tax consequences to United States investors.

Based on the composition of our income and assets, and the valuation of our assets, including goodwill, we do not believe that we were a passive foreign investment company (a "PFIC") for 2023. The determination of whether or not we are a PFIC is made on an annual basis and will depend on the composition of our income and assets from time to time. Specifically, for any taxable year we will be classified as a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes if either (i) 75% or more of our gross income in that taxable year is passive income or (ii) the average percentage of our assets by value in that taxable year which produce or are held for the production of passive income (which includes cash) is at least 50%. The calculation of the value of our assets will be based, in part, on the quarterly market value of our ADSs, which is subject to changes. Due to the volatility of the market price of our ADSs, we may become a PFIC in the future. See "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations." In addition, there is uncertainty as to the treatment of our corporate structure for United States federal income tax purposes. If it is determined that we do not own the stock for United States federal income tax purposes, we may be treated as a PFIC. If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which you hold the ADSs or ordinary shares, such characterization could result in adverse United States federal income tax consequences to you if you are a United States Holder, as defined under "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations." For example, if we are or become a PFIC, you may become subject to increased tax liabilities under United States federal income tax laws and regulations, and will become subject to burdensome reporting requirements. See "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations." We cannot assure you that we were not a PFIC for 2022 or that we will not be a PFIC for 2023 or any future taxable year. Moreover, the determination of our PFIC status is based on an annual determination that cannot be made until the close of a taxable year, and involves extensive factual investigation, including ascertaining the fair market value of all of our assets on a quarterly basis and the character of each item of income we earn, as discussed under "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations-Passive Foreign Investment Company." Our United States counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status.

Environmental / Social2 | 3.8%

Environmental / Social - Risk 1

Increasing focus with respect to environmental, social and governance matters may impose additional costs on us or expose us to additional risks.

Governments and public advocacy groups have been increasingly focused on environment, social and governance ("ESG") issues in recent years, making our business more sensitive to ESG issues and changes in governmental policies and laws and regulations associated with environment protection and other ESG-related matters. Investor advocacy groups, certain institutional investors, investment funds, and other influential investors are also increasingly focused on ESG practices and in recent years have placed increasing importance on the implications and social cost of their investments. Regardless of the industry, increased focus from investors and governmental entities on ESG and similar matters may hinder access to capital, as investors may decide to reallocate capital or to not commit capital as a result of their assessment of a company's ESG practices. Any ESG concern or issue could increase our regulatory compliance costs. If we do not adapt to or comply with the evolving expectations and standards on ESG matters or are perceived to have not responded appropriately to the growing concern for ESG issues, regardless of whether there is a legal requirement to do so, we may suffer from reputational damage and the business, financial condition, and the price of our ADSs could be materially and adversely effected.

Environmental / Social - Risk 2

Changed

Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the changes in laws or regulations relating to privacy, cybersecurity or data protectionin the juridisctions our business is subject to, as well as any impact it may have on our business operations.

As we sell our products to more than 140 countries, we are subject to cybersecurity laws and regulations in various jurisdictions, that are continuously evolving and developing. Countries where we have significant business operations, including the U.S., EU and PRC, have implemented laws and regulations in privacy, cybersecurity and data protection, including but not limited to the GDPR, the CCPA, the HIPAA, national privacy laws of EU member states and other laws relating to privacy, data protection, and cloud computing. These laws are evolving rapidly, as exemplified by the recent adoption by the European Commission of the new cybersecurity regulation laying down measures for a high common level of cybersecurity at the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the European Union entered into force on January 7, 2024 (the "Regulation"). The Regulation lays down measures for the establishment of an internal cybersecurity risk management, governance and control framework for each EU entity, and sets up a new Interinstitutional Cybersecurity Board (IICB) to monitor and support its implementation by EU entities. The Regulation establishes a framework for ensuring common cybersecurity rules and measures among the EU institutions, bodies and agencies, aiming to support detection and awareness of significant or large-scale cybersecurity threats and incidents. Following the timeline defined in the Regulation, the EU entities will establish internal cybersecurity governance processes and will progressively put in place specific cybersecurity risk management measures foreseen by the Regulation. The IICB will be set up and will become operational as soon as possible, with the objective to ensure the strategic steering to Cybersecurity Service for the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies (CERT-EU) under its extended mandate, provide guidance and support to the EU entities and monitor the implementation of the Regulation. The the laws and regulations to be adopted by the EU entities that might be applicable to us remains uncertain. Futher, in EU, the GDPR, which came into effect on May 25, 2018, includes operational requirements for companies that receive or process personal data of residents of the European Economic Area. The GDPR establishes new requirements applicable to the processing of personal data, affords new data protection rights to individuals and imposes penalties for serious data breaches. Individuals also have a right to compensation under the GDPR for financial or non-financial losses. Complying with these laws and contractual or other obligations relating to privacy, data protection, data transfers, data localization, or information security may require us to incur substantial operational costs or modify our data practices and policies. Any actual or perceived failure by us to comply with these laws, regulations, or other obligations may lead to significant fines, penalties, regulatory investigations, lawsuits, significant costs for remediation, damage to our reputation, or other liabilities. In the United States, rules and regulations governing data privacy and security include those promulgated under the authority of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the CCPA and California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 ("CPRA"), and other state and federal laws relating to privacy, consumer protection, and data security. The CCPA and CPRA introduce new requirements regarding the handling of personal information of California consumers and households, including compliance and record keeping obligations, the right to request access to and deletion of their personal information, and the right to opt out of the sale and other uses of their personal information, and provides a private right of action and statutory damages for data breaches. Other jurisdictions in the United States are beginning to expand existing regulations, or propose laws similar to the CCPA, which will continue to shape the data privacy environment nationally. Aspects of certain newly enacted state privacy statutes remain unclear, resulting in further legal uncertainty and potentially requiring us to modify our data practices and policies and to incur substantial additional costs and expenses in an effort to comply. If more stringent privacy legislation arises in the United States, it could increase our potential liability and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In the PRC, the regulatory and enforcement regime relating to data security and data protection is evolving and may be subject to different interpretations or substantive changes. On July 1, 2015, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress issued the National Security Law, which came into effect on the same day. On November 7, 2016, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress issued the Cyber Security Law, which came into effect on June 1, 2017. This is the first Chinese law that focuses exclusively on cyber security. In June 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress promulgated the Data Security Law, effective September 1, 2021. In July 2021, the state council of the PRC promulgated the Regulations on the Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure, effective September 1, 2021. In December 2021, the CAC, together with other authorities, jointly promulgated the Cybersecurity Review Measures, effective February 15, 2021. In addition to the currently effective laws and regulations described above, PRC authorities may adopt additional laws and regulations in the future that further heighten the regulation of data security. These laws, rules, and regulations evolve frequently and their scope may continually change, through new legislation, amendments to existing legislation, and changes in interpretation or enforcement, and may be inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another. There are uncertainties with respect to how such laws and regulations will be implemented and interpreted in practice. Complying with applicable laws and regulations relating to data security and personal information protection may be costly and result in additional expenses to us, and any material failure to do so may subject us to negative publicity, harm our reputation and business operations, limit our ability to continue to offer securities to investors, or cause the value of such securities to significantly decline.

Production

Total Risks: 9/52 (17%)Below Sector Average

Employment / Personnel4 | 7.7%

Employment / Personnel - Risk 1

The labor contract law and its implementation regulations may increase our operating expenses and may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Relevant labor laws have been enforced and the interpretation and implementation of these laws and regulations are still evolving, substantial uncertainty remains as to its potential impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview- Regulation-Labor Laws." The laws and regulations may increase our operating expenses, in particular our human resources costs and our administrative expenses. In addition, as the interpretation and implementation of these regulations are still evolving, we cannot assure you that our employment practices will at all times be deemed to be in full compliance with the law. In the event that we decide to significantly modify our employment or labor policy or practice, or reduce the number of our employees, the labor contract law may limit our ability to effectuate the modifications or changes in the manner that we believe to be most cost-efficient or otherwise desirable, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we are subject to severe penalties or incur significant liabilities in connection with labor disputes or investigations, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected. In the event that we decide to significantly modify our employment or labor policy or practice, or reduce the number of our sales professionals, the labor contract law may limit our ability to effectuate the modifications or changes in the manner that we believe to be most cost-efficient or otherwise desirable, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Employment / Personnel - Risk 2

If we are unable to attract, train and retain qualified personnel, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our business is supported and enhanced by a team of highly skilled employees who are critical to maintaining the quality and consistency of our business and reputation. It is important for us to attract qualified employees, especially marketing personnel, designers, supply chain managers, or engineers with high levels of experience in creative design, software development and Internet-related services. Competition for these employees is intense. In order to attract prospective employees and retain current employees, we may have to increase our employee compensation by a larger amount and at a faster pace than expected, which would increase our operating expenses. In addition, we must hire and train qualified employees in a timely manner to keep pace with our growth while maintaining the quality of our operations in various geographic locations. We must also provide continuous training to our employees so that they have up-to-date knowledge of various aspects of our operations and can meet our demand for high quality services. If we fail to do so, the quality of our services may deteriorate in one or more of the markets where we operate, which may cause a negative perception of our brand and adversely affect our business. Finally, disputes between us and our employees may arise from time to time and if we are not able to properly handle our relationship with our employees, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Employment / Personnel - Risk 3

Our business depends substantially on the continued efforts of our executive officers and our business may be severely disrupted if we lose their services.

Our future success depends substantially on the continued efforts of our executive officers. Competition for senior management and other key personnel is intense, and the pool of suitable candidates is very limited. We may not be able to retain the services of our senior executives or other key personnel or attract and retain senior executives or key personnel in the future. If one or more of our executive officers are unable or unwilling to continue their employment with us, we may not find replacements in a timely manner, or at all, our business may be severely disrupted, and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. We may also incur additional expenses to recruit and retain qualified replacements. If any of our executive officers joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose customers, suppliers, partners and know-how. Each of our executive officers has entered into an employment agreement with us, which contains confidentiality and non-compete provisions. However, if any dispute arises between our executive officers and us and we were not be able to enforce these non-compete provisions due to uncertainties in legal proceedings, our business, financial conditions and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Employment / Personnel - Risk 4

Changed

Increases in labor costs or restrictions in the supply of labor may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and cause our ADSs to be worthless.

Labor is a significant portion of our cost structure and is subject to many external factors, including unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates, minimum wage laws and changes in employment and labor legislation or other workplace regulation. With the rapid development of the global economy, the cost of labor has risen and may continue to rise. Our results of operations will be materially and adversely affected if the labor costs increase. If competitive pressures or other factors prevent us from offsetting increased labor costs by increases in prices, our profitability may decline and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, even if labor costs do not increase, we, our suppliers, courier partners and other service providers may not be able to find a sufficient number of employees to support our operations.

Supply Chain2 | 3.8%

Supply Chain - Risk 1

We rely on third-party suppliers for our products and any change and deterioration in such partnership may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As of December 31, 2023, we sourced our products from around 1,000 selected active suppliers. Our continued growth will increase our product demands, which will require us to increase our supplier base and our ability to source products of commercial quality on reasonable terms. Our suppliers may: - cease selling merchandise to us on terms acceptable to us;- fail to deliver goods that meet customer demands;- encounter financial difficulties;- terminate our partnership or enter into agreements with our competitors;- have economic or business interests or goals that are inconsistent with ours and take actions contrary to our instructions, requests or objectives;- be unable or unwilling to fulfill their obligations, including their obligations to meet our production deadlines, quality standards and product specifications;- fail to expand their production capacities to meet our demands;- encounter raw material or labor shortages or increases in raw material or labor costs, which may impact our procurement costs; or - engage in other activities or employment practices that may harm our reputation. Furthermore, agreements with our suppliers do not typically establish a fixed price for the purchase of products. As a result, we may be subject to price fluctuations based on changes in our suppliers' businesses, cost structures or other factors. The occurrence of any of these events, alone or together, may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our agreements with some of our suppliers do not contain non-compete clauses that would prevent those suppliers from producing similar products for any other third party. Any breakdown in our supplier partnership or our failure to timely resolve disputes with or complaints from our suppliers, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Supply Chain - Risk 2

We use third-party couriers to deliver products and their failure to provide high quality delivery services or our failure to effectively manage our partnership with them may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We use a network of third-party courier companies to deliver our parcels to over 140 countries and territories, except for customers' orders on www.ezbuy.sg, which are delivered by our local employees. Any interruptions or disruption in these third parties' shipping services could cause a delay in a timely delivery of our products to our customers to whom we provide logistics services. These interruptions may be due to unforeseen events such as inclement weather, natural disasters, import or export restrictions, or labor strike, which may be beyond our control or the control of these third-party couriers. For example, our distribution network is subject to fluctuation in gasoline prices. The rising fuel prices could increase our logistics cost and further, increase the costs of our goods and service. The higher the shipping costs from third-party courier companies, the higher the prices of our products and services and in turn, the lesser competitive of us. The third-party couriers are also responsible for the customs clearance procedure. If the Customs find that our goods contain controlled items, or our customs declaration document is not compliant with relevant laws or regulations, they have authority to temporarily detain our shipments or require us to pay for a penalty, leading cancellation of our customers' orders or a delay in our shipment. If we do not deliver products to our customers in a timely manner or deliver damaged or defective products, our customers may refuse to accept our products, leading a decrease in customer loyalty. Some customers purchase goods for a special occasion, like wedding party. Furthermore, some of the products have a limited shelf-life and become quickly outdated. Certain products may not be delivered through certain couriers or may not be delivered to certain countries or regions. As a result, certain products may not be deliverable to certain customers or they may not be deliverable at a sufficiently low cost. In addition, if we are unable to ensure the delivery of products of our customers in which we provide logistics services to in a timely manner or such products are damaged during delivery, our customers may no longer choose us over our competitors. Our third-party couriers may reluctant to offer us a favorable terms, which may increase our shipping cost and materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if our third-party couriers terminate their cooperation with us or do not renew their agreements with us on terms acceptable to us upon the expiry of the existing agreements, we may not be able to find alternative couriers to provide delivery services in a timely and reliable manner, or at all, which may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. We may not be able to promptly and successfully deliver products to customers, which may result in the loss of their business and a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and reputation.

Costs3 | 5.8%

Costs - Risk 1

Failure to renew the lease of our existing premises or to renew such leases at acceptable terms could materially and adversely affect our business.

All of our offices and warehouses are presently located on leased premises. At the end of each lease term, we may not be able to negotiate an extension of the lease and may therefore be forced to move to a different location, or the rent we pay may increase significantly. This could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our profitability. A number of our leases will expire in the near future and are subject to renewal at market prices, which could result in a substantial increase in the rent at the time of renewal. We compete with other businesses for premises at certain locations or of desirable sizes and some landlords may have entered into long- term leases with our competitors for such premises. We might also have to relocate our operations for various other reasons, such as failure in passing the fire inspection in certain locations. We may not be able to obtain new leases at desirable locations or renew our existing leases on acceptable terms or at all, which could materially and adversely affect our business.

Costs - Risk 2

We do not have any business liability, disruption or litigation insurance and any business disruption or litigation we experience might result in our incurring substantial costs and diversion of resources.

Insurances companies offer limited business insurance products and do not, to our knowledge, offer business liability insurance suitable to our business. As such, we currently only have limited insurance covering certain of our warehouses. Any product liability claims or business disruption, natural disaster could result in our incurring substantial costs and diversion of resources, which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Costs - Risk 3

We are subject to increased costs as a public company, and our compliance costs may continue to increase in the future.

As a public company, we have incurred significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not have as a private company prior to our initial public offering. In addition, new rules and regulations relating to information disclosure, financial reporting and control and corporate governance, which could be adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, the New York Stock Exchange and other regulatory bodies and exchange entities from time to time, could result in a significant increase in legal, accounting and other compliance costs and to make certain corporate activities more time-consuming and costly, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Ability to Sell

Total Risks: 8/52 (15%)Below Sector Average

Competition1 | 1.9%

Competition - Risk 1

The online retail industry is intensely competitive and we may not compete successfully against new and existing competitors, which may materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

The market for products posted on our websites and mobile applications is intensely competitive. Customers have many choices online and offline, including global, regional and local retailers. For example, our current and potential competitors include global and regional online retailers such as other global online retail companies, retail chains, specialty retailers, and sellers on online marketplaces. In the future, we may also face competition from new entrants, consolidations of existing competitors or companies spun off from our larger competitors. We face a variety of competitive challenges, including sourcing products efficiently, pricing our products competitively, maintaining optimal inventory levels, selling our products effectively, maintaining the quality of our products, anticipating and responding quickly to changing customer demands and preferences, building our customer base, conducting effective marketing activities and maintaining favorable recognition of our brands, websites and products. In addition, as we further develop our business, we will face increasing challenges to compete for and retain high quality suppliers. If we cannot properly address these challenges, our business and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. Some of our current and potential competitors have significantly more established brands or greater financial, sourcing, marketing, operational or other resources than we do. In addition, other online retailers may be acquired by, receive investments from or enter into strategic partnership with well-established and well-financed companies or investors, which would help to enhance their competitive positions. Certain of our competitors may be able to secure more favorable terms with suppliers, devote greater resources to marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing or inventory policies and devote substantially more resources to infrastructure development. Increased competition may reduce our gross and operating margins, market share and brand recognition. We may not be able to compete successfully against current and future competitors, and competitive pressures may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Demand2 | 3.8%

Demand - Risk 1

We derive our revenues from products that represent discretionary spending and changes in global macroeconomic conditions may decrease the demand for our products and adversely affect our growth strategies and business prospects.

Many of our products may be viewed as discretionary items rather than necessities. Consequently, our results of operations tend to be sensitive to changes in macroeconomic conditions that impact consumer discretionary spending. During an economic downturn, customers may be less willing to purchase products that we offer. Challenging macroeconomic conditions also impact our customers' ability to obtain consumer credit. It is difficult to predict household spending patterns in light of the global economic challenges. Other factors, including consumers' confidence, employment levels, interest rates, tax rates, consumer debt levels and fuel and energy costs, could reduce consumer spending or change in consumers' purchasing habits.

Demand - Risk 2

Substantial future sales of the ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the price of the ADSs to decline.

Additional sales of our ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of the ADSs to decline. As of December 31, 2023, we had 223,250,577 ordinary shares outstanding, including 92,566,784 ordinary shares represented by ADSs. All our ordinary shares represented by ADSs were freely transferable by persons other than our "affiliates" without restriction or additional registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or Securities Act. The remaining ordinary shares will be available for sale subject to volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act. In addition, certain holders of our ordinary shares have the right to cause us to register the sale of those shares under the Securities Act. Registration of these shares under the Securities Act would result in these shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act immediately upon the effectiveness of the registration. Sales of these registered shares in the public market could cause the price of the ADSs to decline.

Sales & Marketing3 | 5.8%

Sales & Marketing - Risk 1

Our expansion in our product offerings may lower our profit margins and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We focus on the sale of apparels and other general merchandise and derive the majority of our total revenues from apparel products. As we continue to optimize and deepen our supply chain, there have been required improvements on our technology and infrastructure, our capabilities in data analysis and algorithm, and increased marketing spending. We intend to continue to optimize and deepen our supply chain and increase the value for money and fulfillment efficiency. Our expansion in our product offerings involve uncertainties and challenges. It imposes deeper involvement in product design, material, product and supplier selections, it also imposes more proactive, efficient and effective feedback to our customers' demands and requests, higher demand on our system functionalities and capacities. Furthermore, we may have to deal with customers in demographics that we have previously not targeted. We also face inventory risks and other challenges when addressing changing customer demands and preferences. We may introduce new products, which may increase the risks of inventory write-downs and financing costs. As a result, we may not be able to compete successfully in these new markets, our costs may increase and our revenues and profit margins may decrease, all of which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Sales & Marketing - Risk 2

We are subject to payment-related risks which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our customers may choose from a wide range of payment methods. As we offer new payment options to our customers, we may be subject to additional regulations, compliance requirements and fraud. We rely on third parties, such as PayPal, Checkout, Stripe, Klarna and Apple Pay to provide certain payment processing services, including the processing of credit card and debit card transactions. Our business may be disrupted if these companies become unwilling or unable to provide these services to us. We are also subject to payment card association operating rules, certification requirements and rules governing electronic funds transfers, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. If we fail to comply with these rules or requirements, we may be subject to fines and higher transaction fees and lose our ability to accept credit and debit card payments from our customers, process electronic funds transfers, or facilitate other types of online payments and our business and operating results could be adversely affected. Under current credit card practices, we are liable for certain fraudulent credit card transactions because we do not require a cardholder's signature. We do not currently carry insurance against this risk. Although we have only experienced minimal losses from credit card fraud, we face the risk of significant losses from this type of fraud as our net product sales increase and as we expand internationally. Our failure to adequately control fraudulent credit card transactions could damage our reputation and brand, thus substantially harm our business and results of operations. Additionally, for certain payment transactions, including credit and debit cards, we pay interchange and other fees. These fees may increase over time, which would raise our operating costs and lower our operating margins.

Sales & Marketing - Risk 3

We may have difficulties managing our marketing efforts and may face increased competition in our marketing efforts, which could materially and adversely affect our business and growth prospects.

We may have difficulty managing our marketing efforts as our business expands. Currently, we actively manage millions of product feeds in over 20 languages on google shopping platform, also manage millions of keywords in over 20 languages and display advertising on over 800,000 publisher sites. In addition, we actively engage with our users on social networking sites. However, given the rapid changes of Internet advertising, customer preferences, the development of new forms of Internet marketing and the different forms of social media in each of our target countries and regions, we may have difficulties adapting our marketing techniques quickly and we may not sustain our customer acquisition rates, which may have a material and adverse effect on our business prospects. We are highly dependent on our continuing partnership with our affiliate websites and major search engines around the world. Our advertising publishing partners for our affiliate marketing programs may cease, suspend or change the business terms in which we work with them. Search engines may introduce new products and features or modify their page ranking algorithms, which may make our marketing efforts more challenging and costly, or reduce our web traffic. They may also modify existing features or interfere with our ability to advertise on their platforms or to change the business terms on which we advertise. The occurrence of any such event could materially and adversely affect our ability to acquire new customers and thus negatively impact our business, growth prospects, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, as search engine marketing is based on a bidding system, other online advertisers may outbid us on our chosen advertising keywords, which may cause us to increase our marketing expenses and adversely affect our results of operations.

Brand / Reputation2 | 3.8%

Brand / Reputation - Risk 1

Our websites, mobile applications or product offerings may not receive positive market recognition and wide acceptance, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, negative publicity, including negative Internet and blog postings from anonymous sources, about our company, our business, our management or our products could have a material adverse effect on our business, our reputation and the trading price of our ADSs.

Maintaining and enhancing the level of customer visits to and volume of customer purchases on our websites and mobile applications are critical to our ability to compete effectively. We intend to enhance the recognition of our websites and mobile applications and product offerings by expending significant time and resources on marketing and customer relations. However, we may not be able to achieve our goals in a short period of time and our marketing efforts may not achieve expected results. Such efforts may also be jeopardized if we fail to maintain high product quality, fulfill orders for popular items, maintain and enhance high customer experience, provide high quality customer services, or offer efficient and reliable delivery. In addition, any negative publicity or disputes regarding our products, company, management or affiliated individuals or other online retailers may also materially and adversely affect our websites or branded products. Furthermore, if our customer service representatives fail to satisfy the individual needs of customers, our reputation and customer loyalty could be negatively affected and we may lose potential or existing customers and experience a decrease in product sales. Failure to successfully promote and maintain positive customer experience and awareness of our websites and mobile applications, damage to our reputation or brands or loss of customer confidence could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Factors important to maintaining and increasing the sales volumes of goods purchased from our websites and mobile applications include: - our ability to maintain a convenient and reliable user experience as customer preferences evolve and as we expand into new products and new business lines;- our ability to increase repeat purchases by customers;- our ability to increase purchase by mobile application users;- our ability to provide high quality customer services;- our ability to offer products of sufficient quality at competitive prices;- our ability to manage new and existing technologies and sales channels;- our ability to increase website awareness among existing and potential customers through various means of marketing and promotional activities;- our ability to assure our customers of the security of our websites and mobile applications for online purchases; and - the efficiency, reliability and service quality of our logistics and payment service providers. Any failure to properly manage these factors could negatively impact our websites and mobile applications. Such failures may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we have from time to time received negative publicity, including negative Internet and blog postings from anonymous sources, and anonymous allegations about our company, our business, our management and our products. We cannot assure you that we will not receive similar negative publicity, negative Internet or blog postings or anonymous allegations in the future. Any such negative publicity, negative Internet or blog postings or anonymous allegations, regardless of veracity, may have a material adverse effect on our business, our reputation and the trading price of our ADSs.

Brand / Reputation - Risk 2

Our branding efforts for our products and company may be costly and may not obtain positive market recognition which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have launched our own branded product lines, which require more research, design and marketing costs than our private label products. These costs may not be recovered from sufficient sales of these branded products. These brands may not receive or maintain positive market recognition. Furthermore, it may take time and additional expenditures before we realize that our branding efforts have been unsuccessful. As a result of these efforts to develop branded products, we may incur costs without corresponding increases in revenues which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Tech & Innovation

Total Risks: 6/52 (12%)Below Sector Average

Trade Secrets3 | 5.8%

Trade Secrets - Risk 1

Products manufactured by our suppliers may be defective in quality or infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, which may materially and adversely affect our business and our reputation.

We source our products from selected third-party suppliers. Some of the products provided by our suppliers may be defective in quality. Such products may also infringe on the intellectual property rights of third parties. Defective or infringing products may adversely affect consumer perceptions of our company or the products we sell, which may lead to negative reviews that could harm our reputation. Although we have adopted internal policies and guidelines during our procurement process to make sure the products meet expected quality and do not infringe on third-party intellectual property rights, we may receive, from time to time, notices claiming that our products have infringed on the intellectual property rights of others. If we determine that products posted on our websites and mobile applications are infringing on intellectual property rights, we will remove them from our websites and mobile applications. We may be accused in legal disputes from time to time, including copyright, trademark and patent infringement, product quality complaints, breach of contract, and other matters. For example, in July 2023, a complaint was filed against us in the U.S. federal court alleging trademark infringement, and it was settled and dismissed from the court in January 2024. Also in July 2023, another complaint was filed against us in the U.S. federal court alleging trademark infringement and breach of contract, the proceeding is ongoing now. Therefore, we cannot assure you that future claims will not have a material impact on your business and financial condition. Irrespective of the validity of such allegations or claims, we may experience lost product sales or incur significant costs and efforts in defending against or settling such allegations or claims. If there is a successful claim against us, we may be required to refrain from further sale of the relevant products or pay substantial damages, and we may be unable to recoup our losses from our suppliers. In addition, since our products are sold to customers in many different countries and regions, we are subject to numerous different legal regimes governing mandatory product standards, intellectual property and torts. Such regimes may impose burdensome legal obligations, which may increase the costs and complexity of compliance. Regardless of whether we successfully defend against such claims, our reputation could be severely damaged. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Trade Secrets - Risk 2

You may not be able to participate in rights offerings and may experience dilution of your holdings as a result.

We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, the depositary will not offer those rights to ADS holders unless both the rights and the underlying securities to be distributed to ADS holders are either registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective. In addition, we may not be able to take advantage of any exemptions from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, holders of the ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution in their holdings as a result.

Trade Secrets - Risk 3

We may not be able to prevent unauthorized use of our intellectual property, which could harm our business and competitive position.

We regard our trademarks, service marks, domain names, trade secrets, proprietary technologies and similar intellectual property critical to our success and we currently rely on a mix of trademark law, trade secret protection, confidentiality and license agreements with our employees, suppliers, partners and others to protect our proprietary rights. Our trademarks and service marks may be invalidated, circumvented or challenged. Trade secrets are difficult to protect and our trade secrets may be leaked or otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. Confidentiality agreements may be breached and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. Third parties may also infringe our intellectual property rights and damage our market reputation by counterfeiting our platform. It is often difficult to create and enforce intellectual property rights in certain geographic regions where we operate. Even where adequate laws exist in these regions, it may not be possible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of such laws, or to obtain enforcement of a court judgment or an arbitration award delivered in another jurisdiction and, accordingly, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights or enforce agreements in certain geographic regions where we operate. Preventing any unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly and the steps we have taken may be inadequate to prevent the misappropriation of our technologies.

Cyber Security1 | 1.9%

Cyber Security - Risk 1

Failure to protect confidential information of our customers and our network against security breaches could damage our reputation and substantially harm our business and results of operations.

As we sell our products globally, we are subject to consumer protection and data protection laws and regulations of various jurisdictions. Countries where we have business operations have implemented laws and regulations to provide consumer protection in data security and privacy. In particular, states in the U.S. where we operate our business such as California has implemented laws to prevent any unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices in commercial activities. EU data privacy law, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), also imposes strict rules on commercial use of personal data, data storage, data profiling and transfer personal data to countries outside the EU, including the U.S., and permits data protection authorities to impose large penalties for violations of the GDPR, including potential fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global revenues, whichever is greater. We deal with large amount of customer data in our daily operations due to our online sales business. Compliance with these requirements might require us to take technical and organizational measures on collection, use, disclosure, retention, personal data on our website, and the compliance with such laws and regulations could increase our compliance costs and adversely affected our business and financial results. In addition, we might be subject to judicial proceedings in these areas, which could materially negatively and adversely impact our business. In addition, a significant challenge to online commerce and communications is the secure transmission of confidential information over public networks. Currently, product orders and payments for products we offer are made through our websites and mobile applications. Moreover, online payments for our products are settled through third-party electronic platforms. In such transactions, maintaining complete security for the transmission of confidential information, such as our customers' credit card information, personal information and billing addresses, on our websites and mobile applications are essential to maintain customers' confidence. We have no control over the security measures of third-party electronic payment service providers. We also hold certain other private information about our customers, such as their names, addresses, phone numbers and browsing and purchasing records, except for the credit card information. We may not be able to prevent third parties, such as hackers or criminal organizations, from stealing information provided by our customers to us through our websites and mobile applications. Furthermore, our third-party logistics and payment service providers may accidentally or purposefully disclose information about our customers. We may also accidentally disclose such information due to employee negligence. Significant capital and other resources may be required to protect against security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by such breaches. The methods used by hackers and others engaged in online criminal activities are increasingly sophisticated and constantly evolving. Even if we successfully adapt to and prevent new security breaches, any perception by the public that online commerce and transactions are becoming increasingly unsafe could inhibit the growth of e-commerce and other online services generally, which, in turn, may reduce the number of purchase orders we receive. Any compromise of our security or third-party service providers' security could materially and adversely affect our reputation, business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Technology2 | 3.8%

Technology - Risk 1

We may not be able to successfully adopt new technologies or adapt our websites, mobile applications and systems to customer requirements or emerging industry standards, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Internet and the online retail industry are characterized by rapid technological evolution. Changes in user and customer preferences and the emergence of new industry standards and practices may render our existing proprietary technologies and systems obsolete. To remain competitive, we must enhance our technology infrastructure and adapt to the evolving online retail landscape. Not only do we need to constantly improve our user experience through personal computers, but we also need to enhance our user experience through mobile phones, handheld tablets or other devices. As new platforms and new devices are continually being released, it is difficult to predict the problems we may encounter to reach customers. If we are unable to adapt to changing market conditions or customer requirements in a cost-effective and timely manner, whether for technical, financial or other reasons, our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Technology - Risk 2

Changed

The proper functioning of our information infrastructure or those of third-party service providers we rely upon is essential to our business and any failure to maintain the satisfactory performance, security and integrity of our information infrastructure may materially and adversely affect our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations.

Our revenues from product sales depend on the number of visitors who purchase products on our websites and mobile applications and the volume of orders we fulfill. Our information infrastructure is vulnerable to damage or interruption as a result of terrorist attacks, wars, earthquakes, floods, fires, power loss, health epidemics, undetected errors or "bugs" in our software, computer viruses, interruptions in access to our platform through the use of "denial of service" or similar attacks, hacking or other attempts to harm our systems, and similar events. Some of our systems are not fully redundant, and our disaster recovery planning does not account for all possible scenarios. Telecommunications failures, errors encountered during system upgrades or system expansions, failures related to imbedded social networking functions, computer viruses, attempts to harm our systems, or any inability to maintain, develop and upgrade our existing information infrastructure may damage our hardware and software systems and database, interrupt access to our websites and mobile applications, disrupt our business activities, reveal confidential customer information, slow down response times, degrade customer service, increase shipping and handling costs or delay order fulfillment, which may individually or collectively affect our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations materially and adversely. Our technology infrastructure may not function properly as a result of third-party action, employee error, malfeasance or otherwise and resulting in unauthorized access to our customers' data. In addition, our domain names may not point to our IP address correctly due to malfeasance or neglect by our hosting solutions or domain name registries. For example, they may determine that we have violated contractual, civil or criminal duties and, as a result, suspend our domain names. Such errors would render our sites inaccessible for a period of time. Additionally, third parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees or customers into disclosing sensitive information such as user names, passwords or other information in order to gain access to our or our customers' data. Even if we are successful in preventing security breaches, any perception by the public that online commercial transactions, or the privacy of user information, are increasingly unsafe or vulnerable to attack could inhibit the growth of online retailers and other online services generally, which, in turn, may have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations.

Macro & Political

Total Risks: 4/52 (8%)Below Sector Average

Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 1.9%

Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1

Any catastrophe, including outbreaks of health pandemics and other extraordinary events, could severely disrupt our business operations.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the outbreak of pandemics. Any occurrence of pandemic diseases or other adverse public health developments could severely disrupt our staffing or the staffing of our suppliers and couriers and otherwise reduce the activity levels of our work force and the work force of our suppliers and couriers, causing a material and adverse effect on our business operations. In particular, in recent years, global outbreaks of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, influenza and other infectious diseases, have had a negative impact on the global economy and our business in certain areas, such as causing certain delay in the delivery schedule of products purchased through our online platform, and disruption to our customers, supply chains and staff, and further to our global operations. We may still be unable to accurately and comprehensively predict the potential impact of future outbreaks of various infectious diseases. If such infectious diseases have a sustained adverse impact on the global economy, our operations and trading volumes, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In addition, our operations are vulnerable to interruption and damage from natural and other types of catastrophes, including earthquakes, fire, floods, hail, windstorms, severe winter weather (including snow, freezing water, ice storms and blizzards), environmental accidents, power loss, communications failures, explosions, man-made events such as terrorist attacks and similar events. Due to their nature, we cannot predict the incidence, timing and severity of catastrophes. Occurrences of natural disasters, as well as accidents and incidents of adverse weather in or around our warehouses, sourcing offices or suppliers may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. We may also be particularly vulnerable to catastrophes in Europe and North America, where most of our customers are located. Changing climate conditions, primarily rising global temperatures, may be increasing, or may in the future increase, the frequency and severity of natural catastrophes. If any such catastrophe or extraordinary event occurs in the future, our ability to operate our business could be seriously impaired. Such events could make it difficult or impossible for us to deliver our services and products to our customers and could decrease demand for our products. Because we only have limited insurance covering certain of our warehouses and do not maintain insurance for all of our properties, significant time could be required to resume our operations and our financial position and operating results could be materially and adversely affected in the event of any major catastrophic event.

Capital Markets3 | 5.8%

Capital Markets - Risk 1

Changes in international trade policies and international barriers to trade, or the emergence of a trade war, may have an adverse effect on our business and expansion plans.

Changes to trade policies, treaties and tariffs in the jurisdictions in which we operate, or the perception that these changes could occur, could adversely affect the financial and economic conditions in the jurisdictions in which we operate, as well as our international and cross-border operations, our financial condition and results of operations. In recent years, the U.S. administration has advocated greater restrictions on trade generally and significant increases on tariffs on certain goods imported into the United States, particularly from China and has recently taken steps toward restricting trade in certain goods. As we are a leading online retailer selling goods to customers globally, any unfavorable changes in international trade policies and international barriers to trade, such as capital controls or tariffs, may affect the demand for our products and services, impact the competitive position of our products or prevent us from being able to sell products in certain countries. In addition, some countries have retaliated in response to trade policies, treaties and tariffs implemented by the United States. For example, in response to the United States' tariff plan on steel and aluminum in 2018, the European Union announced planned tariffs on various goods imported from the United States, including a 10% tariff on woven textile fabrics, a 15% tariff on sweetcorn, rice, whisky and cigarettes, a 35% tariff on apparel, paper and a 50% tariff on footwear, kitchenware and household machine. Any international trade policies and barriers to trade could ultimately result in to a trade war, which would have an adverse effect on manufacturing levels, trade levels and industries, including logistics, retail sales and other businesses and services that rely on trade, commerce and manufacturing. Any such escalation in trade tensions or a trade war, or news and rumors of the escalation of a potential trade war, could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and trading price of our ADSs.

Capital Markets - Risk 2

The market price for the ADSs has fluctuated and may be volatile.

The market price for our ADSs has fluctuated since we listed our ADSs. Since our ADSs became listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") on June 6, 2013, the trading price of our ADSs have ranged from US$0.58 to US$23.38 per ADS and the last reported trading price on February 29, 2024 was US$0.90 per ADS. In addition to the volatility in the price of the ADSs which could be caused by the materialization of any of the risks described in this section, the securities markets in the United States, China and elsewhere have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our ADSs. In particular, we have received letters from the NYSE in March 2024, indicating that our Company is "below criteria" due to the average closing price of our ADSs being less than $1.00 over a consecutive 30-trading-day period pursuant to Section 802.01C of the NYSE Listed Company Manual. Our ADS price subsequently increased to and remained at a level that was in compliance with Section 802.01C of the NYSE Listed Company Manual. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following: - variations in our revenues, net earnings and cash flow;- announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures;- announcements of new product and expansions by us or our competitors;- changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;- additions or departures of key personnel;- release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities;- potential litigation or regulatory investigations; and - detrimental negative publicity about us and our industry. Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our ADSs will trade.

Capital Markets - Risk 3

Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may make us less competitive and may make our growth and future prospects uncertain and difficult to evaluate, and may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.We sell to customers in over 140 countries and territories. Our customers pay for our products and we pay costs and expenditures in various currencies, but we report our financial results in U.S. dollars and, as a result, our financial results may be impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. If the U.S. dollar appreciates against foreign currencies, our translation of foreign currency denominated transactions will result in lower total revenues, operating expenses and net income. As we are deepening our penetration of geographic markets globally, our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations has increased. We have no hedges against currency risk. Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could significantly impact our financial results, which may result in an impact on our share price. Our costs and expenses are settled in various currencies including U.S. dollars, Euros, Great Britain Pounds, Renminbi, Singapore dollars, etc. As a result, there are exchange of currencies between cash received and paid and may cause exchange gain or loss. We have no hedges against currency risk. Consequently, any increase in the value of these currencies against the others may reduce our margins, reduce our competitiveness against retailers who source their products from suppliers with costs denominated in other currencies or render us unable to meet our costs.

See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?

Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.

They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.

It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.

How do companies disclose their risk factors?

Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.

Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.

Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.

According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.

How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?

Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.

You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.

Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.

A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.

What are all the risk factor categories?

TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.

1. Financial & Corporate

Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.

2. Legal & Regulatory

Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.

3. Production

Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.

4. Technology & Innovation

Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.

5. Ability to Sell

Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.

6. Macro & Political

Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.

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