This online store ‘drops’ the prices of its products through aggressive discounts that are achieved by playing roulette or sharing photos on social networks. She is accused of encouraging compulsive buying.

Temu, the app that threatens Aliexpress and Shein with even cheaper items and clothes

Saving on fashion does not seem like a nonsense, especially given the    high rate of inflation in Spain. If Shein became the scourge of ‘low cost’ stores like Primark and even of the big brands in the Spanish market like Zara or H&M, now it is Temu that threatens the dominance of the Chinese textile group when it comes to ‘fast fashion’ . That is to say, the fashion of buying cheap clothes based on trends, which are manufactured at low cost and which are used on average about 7 times and are still profitable for buyers. It already has a large market in the US, since it was released in September 2022, and it is becoming more and more popular all over the world.

Temu is an app from the Chinese group PDD Holdings and whose name comes from ‘Team Up, Price Down’ , which in Spanish would translate to something like ‘United team, low prices’. And it is that on their website they define themselves by their commitment to “offer the most affordable quality products” , in order to “enjoy wholesale prices at any time, anywhere and with the best suppliers and brands in the world”.

Although it is not officially in Spain nor has it announced the date on which it will do so, it is possible to download the application from iPhone or Android and set the language to Spanish . In addition, it allows you to place orders so that they arrive in Spain. In fact, it has recently landed in France. In addition, orders arrive in around 10 days, so delivery times are more than acceptable if we compare them with those of their competitors.

Offers and new clothes every day to save on fashion

Temu, the cheap clothing app

Temu.com

Like Shein, it sells cheap clothing, but also accessories made in the Asian country and other items. In other words, she is also willing to stand up to Amazon and Aliexpress. It has twenty product categories such as household items, gardening, tools, beauty, automotive, electronics or toys, among others. If we access the news section, we can see that hundreds of products of all kinds are released every day.

Even taking into account that the prices are cheap, there are some that are surprising and even give the impression of not being correct. There are mugs from 19 cents, Christmas lights for 78 cents and dozens of decoration products between 1 and 3 dollars.  In addition, we find technology products such as the Nintendo Switch, mobile phones or chargers. All kinds of accessories for babies, erotic toys, security cameras, musical instruments… Among the best sellers Temu includes Lenovo headphones for 9 dollars. It really is harder not to find something in the catalog than it is to get it.

As for clothing, the offer is almost infinite  at low prices. Pants, shoes, t-shirts, coats, scarves… for women, men and children’s fashion. The cheapest clothes cost around one euro, but for 10 euros we can get almost anything. There are also jewelery and watches from just a few cents to 3 or 4 euros.

Use strategies that encourage compulsive buying

To multiply sales, it promotes its low-cost products with great discounts of up to 90% instantly through online mobile games. This strategy is known by an English concept, the ‘shopatainment’ , that is to say, an application that mixes consumption and entertainment.

In Temu , the user is invited to spin the wheel of fortune to win discount coupons , or to play at  raising fish or growing virtual fruits . Also, by sharing purchases on social media, they offer shoppers more credits. These rewards invite you to buy back, share your items and keep buying. In fact, Temu has been accused by Shein of paying influencers to make “false and misleading statements” about their products and everything indicates that they will end up in court. 

Their motto is ‘Shop like a millionaire, even in times of inflation. Its striking colors and design can even make doubts with an online game application . Everything to reach the maximum public possible . Something that even overwhelms users: “This app and online store  has many very good and good quality things. But they insist so much on you to invite your friends and to win free items … I don’t like that I press So much, it’s a shame they do that,” says a Temu user on the app’s Google Play page along with dozens of comments and ratings, most of which highlight having had no problems with the app from EEUU.