Discount e-commerce site Temu has launched in the UK and is now top of the charts in the Apple App Store after proving hugely popular in the US. Downloaded millions of times across the pond, the online retailer is now open for business in Britain and carries the tagline "shop like a billionaire".
The Chinese-owned company has spent millions on social media marketing so many will already be familiar with the name. According to research by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), Temu placed more than 8,000 ads across Meta (formerly Facebook) platforms in 2023. The brand then spent around $14million (£11.2m) on two adverts during the Super Bowl.
Products on Temu can be found for mere pennies thanks to 'lightning deals', which can offer up to 99 percent off. But many have wondered if this is too good to be true.
Temu has been compared to other bargain fashion sites, like Shein, and discounters such as AliExpress, and Wish, which also sell the likes of clothing, homeware, jewellery and cosmetics at prices other retailers cant compete with as the products come direct from Chinese sellers.
Like Shein, Temu heavily uses influencers for marketing - and it appears to be working. The platform's gross sales grew from $3million (£2.4million) in September to $192million (£154million) in January, according to data firm YipitData.
Is Temu safe?
Temu has 2.9 stars on Trustpilot, with 43 per cent of reviews rating the platform one star. Most negative reviews complain of poor product quality and the frequency of notification the app sends to users. Meanwhile, its competitor, Wish, has a rating of 4.5 out of five.
Alongside a one out of five star score, one Temu shopper, Paul Roberts, wrote: "What a laughable service and app." Alan Robson added: "It's not what I expected quality is not…" However, Steve Parke gave it five stars, writing: "No complaints at all!"
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Temu also has a poor 2.37 rating on the Better Business Bureau, where some reviewers again complain of underwhelming quality and not receiving items. Temu is owned by multinational commerce group PDD Holdings, and it's sister site Pinduoduo, was valued at £160billion two years ago.
A USCC report says that PDD Holdings has been accused by China's Labour Watch of forcing employees to work over extreme lengths of time.
