PINDUODUO Inc., one of China’s biggest e-commerce operators, is preparing to enter the North American market in its first cross-border expansion, according to people familiar with its plans.

The firm is looking for new growth avenues at a time when its domestic economy is slowing, and will follow in the footsteps of successful international ventures like Shein and AliExpress. The firm is currently preparing its merchant partners for the move, the people said.

Pinduoduo (PDD) holds roughly a 13% share of Chinese online retail, according to industry intelligence firm EMarketer, and has in recent times curtailed its heavy investment in online groceries, which were seen as the most promising new outlet for growth in the country.

As it adopts more cost-control measures, the U.S. market offers an enticing outlet to use its existing infrastructure and merchant network internationally.

Despite a late arrival, PDD broke through in China’s highly competitive internet retail space by bringing in social e-commerce practices that have helped build an annual active user base of more than 880 million.

It won over shoppers by creating a sort of WhatsApp-Groupon mashup, where consumers spot deals on products, like toys and fruits, and then recruit friends to buy at a discount.

The company has largely withstood macroeconomic headwinds this year and is projected to report 2.5% growth in revenue for the second quarter. Market leader Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which runs AliExpress as its international arm, logged its first-ever sales contraction during the same period.

An earlier report by Late Post put the timing of a U.S. app launch by PDD in September and said the company had reassigned senior executives and staff from other divisions to help lead its cross-border push.                          (SD-Agencies)