Temu grew standard no less than partly by turning into one of many largest consumers of adverts on Fb apps and Google. Temu has additionally purchased dear TV commercials in the course of the previous two Tremendous Bowl video games, together with a number of adverts this yr with an earworm jingle.
The massive questions on Temu: Can an organization promote its method into your coronary heart? And may America’s love for Temu final?
Fast solutions: Sure and perhaps no.
“I believe it’s a fad,” stated Sucharita Kodali, a retail and e-commerce principal analyst with the analysis agency Forrester.
We have now a behavior of falling laborious for procuring novelties — whether or not it’s a gown that sells like scorching muffins out of nowhere or retailers equivalent to Zara, Poshmark or Want. However lots of our procuring infatuations are transient.
There’s in all probability not a lot hurt should you’re gaga for Temu and it turns into a has-been. Simply watch out to not stake an excessive amount of of your cash or your livelihood on a scorching procuring app that may not final.
And hold studying for recommendation if you wish to store safely on Temu. Like many spots for purchasing on-line, you don’t have a lot details about the product sellers on Temu. That heightens the danger that purchases could possibly be disappointing or hurt you.
What’s our cope with procuring fads?
E-commerce crushes that cool off are a persistent phenomenon.
We had been infatuated within the early 2010s with websites equivalent to Groupon that featured short-lived reductions. These websites have largely pale. Then we fell laborious for month-to-month deliveries of merchandise in a field equivalent to clothes, pet merchandise or razors. The mania died down, too.
Then Want grew to become the new bargain-basement procuring app.
Want is fairly much like Temu. Each promote a seize bag of sometimes low-cost and sometimes random stuff immediately from distributors which can be largely in China.
(Temu is predicated in Boston however owned by a Chinese language firm, PDD. The corporate additionally operates a preferred e-commerce app in China referred to as Pinduoduo.)
Want, like Temu, for some time blitzed Fb and Google with adverts pitching oddball merchandise equivalent to meat socks. The technique labored on you, till it didn’t. Want has lapsed into irrelevance.
In 2023, Temu spent more cash promoting on-line in america than all however three different giant corporations: Amazon, client merchandise large Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo, in line with estimates by Sensor Tower and Pathmatics that analysis agency eMarketer shared with me.
(Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Publish.)
Temu’s promoting blitz might work. TikTok was among the many largest advertisers on-line for some time, too. And TikTok has remained standard.
Temu additionally has caught on not solely due to its heavy promoting.
The app additionally sells every part you may think, together with backyard gnomes and pretend eyelashes. Its casino-style advertising and marketing contains restricted time gross sales that create a way of urgency. In the event you rating a deal, Temu needs to unfold the information to your folks.
Juozas Kaziukenas, founding father of the e-commerce analysis agency Market Pulse, says past Temu’s advertising and marketing savvy, it has benefits that Want didn’t.
Temu can harness PDD’s observe file in wrangling giant numbers of Chinese language distributors and guaranteeing orders arrive effectively at your door, he stated.
“Fads come and go, however the want for worth doesn’t,” Temu stated. The corporate stated it believes its experience will “deliver a brand new stage of effectivity and value financial savings.”
The right way to store safely on Temu
Now that many on-line outlets, together with Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Store, Temu and Shein, promote you merchandise that come immediately from factories or distributors that you just don’t know something about, high quality management is trickier than it’s with the restricted choices in bodily shops.
That places the onus on you to attempt to keep away from shopping for merchandise which can be poorly made.
Learn my colleague Heather Kelly’s recommendation on avoiding scams or different undesirable outcomes once you purchase on-line. Most of this recommendation applies to all on-line procuring.
If you’re shopping for on Temu, you might need to see if the identical product or vendor is on Amazon, Etsy or Shopify. You are attempting to get a way if persons are complaining about being misled or ripped off. Not all merchandise you discover on Temu will likely be bought different locations.
One reader informed me final yr that she had a ruler useful when she shopped from Temu. The true dimension of merchandise will be deceptive in pictures, she stated, however product dimensions could also be included in Temu’s on-line listings.
In the event you peek at these, you may keep away from shopping for a canine mattress that seems to be thimble-size.
In the event you’re shopping for an inexpensive ceiling-fan duster on Temu and it seems to be junk, it’s not an enormous deal. However do watch out with or keep away from shopping for merchandise on Temu that go into your physique or in your pores and skin.
With out realizing a lot concerning the reliability of the sellers, merchandise equivalent to faux eyelashes, nutritional vitamins or pores and skin cream might damage you.
Temu stated that it has particular high quality management to vet merchandise on your physique. Temu additionally stated folks ought to analysis components and seek the advice of opinions earlier than shopping for merchandise.
Additionally on your security, be cautious of shopping for merchandise from Temu if they’re toys or different merchandise meant for youngsters, in the event that they’re powered by a rechargeable battery, or in the event that they’re protecting gear like a bike helmet.
Temu’s talent is making discount searching really feel like a sugar-high treasure hunt. So have enjoyable on the market. Simply be cautious. And don’t get in so deep with Temu that you just’ll be left within the lurch if it winds up being a fad.