Chinese shopping app Temu wows US amid TikTok fears
Shopping online at Temu, Laurie Silva paid just $1.25 for earrings and $15 for a cardigan -- she is among millions of US consumers the Chinese platform is wooing with low-cost bargains and a dizzying array of products.
Temu topped US app download rankings in early April, a spot it held since January, but its rapid rise comes as platforms with links to China face growing scrutiny and when a ban on youth favorite TikTok appears increasingly inevitable.
According to Sensor Tower data, some of the most popular platforms downloaded in the US currently have Chinese roots, including TikTok, video-editor CapCut and fashion upstart Shein.
Temu is positioned as an Amazon-like superstore, selling everything from make-up to homeware and electronics, and its quiet launch last September marked Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo's first foray into the US market.
Based out of a Boston office block, Temu's out-of-the-blue success makes it the second Chinese-made shopping app -- after Gen Z darling Shein -- to make a splash in America in recent years.
"I've seen so many things in their catalog... offered on Amazon and other online retailers for much more," Silva, a 65-year-old in California, told AFP.
She has placed around 20 orders on Temu, buying craft supplies, jewelry and gifts.
Another customer, 38-year-old Stephanie Wolfe, said she first bought items like eyeliner and jewelry to test the service in January.
"It got here so quick, I couldn't believe it," she said. "Once I realized it was legit, I just started ordering more."
Fueling the frenzy were Temu's commercial spots during the Super Bowl in February that asked more than 100 million US viewers to "shop like a billionaire."
"I was like: 'Oh that's what I use!' Since then I've noticed it's
Read more on tech.hindustantimes.com
