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Originally Posted On: https://www.thestate.com/contributor-content/article275596146.html
When Mimi Lan, a pop-up dinner and personal chef based in Jacksonville, Florida, discovered Temu, an online shopping platform, she was pleasantly surprised by the impact it had on her business. As someone who constantly needs garnishing tools, dumpling boxes, steamer liners, parchment paper, and quality disposable plates, Lan was no stranger to the challenges of finding affordable catering supplies. “In my line of work as a chef for private dinners and culinary productions, presentation and kitchen tools are important,” Lan said. “You constantly have to buy all these things in order to do your event.” Her discovery of Temu turned out to be a game-changer. While a generic fryer basket costs $5.45 each on Amazon, the same item is only $1.48 on Temu. Lan noticed that these savings quickly add up when buying in bulk. Previously, she sourced her supplies from AliExpress, a Chinese retailer owned by Alibaba Group.
However, Lan now swears by Temu. “It comes a lot faster than AliExpress,” Lan told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s cheaper, it’s packaged better, and it’s got a better warranty.” Temu delivers significant savings By warranty, Lan means that she can easily obtain refunds for items that she’s not happy with from Temu, which offers free returns and customers their money back for eligible items within 90 days of purchase, one of the longest windows in the e-commerce industry. Lan said her purchases of household goods from Temu have made a significant difference in her business.
Lan is just one of millions of shoppers who have taken to Temu, a Boston-based e-commerce platform that has wowed the market with what Fast Company described as a “riot of choice” of quality products at rock-bottom prices. With banners screaming “Up to 90% Off” on its website and apps, the year-round promotions on Temu are the sort of deals that shoppers are more accustomed to seeing at other retailers during the annual Black Friday sale. Founded in 2022, Temu has grown rapidly is now available in 10 markets, including the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, and Australia. With economic uncertainty clouding employment prospects and rising costs of living eating into pay checks, consumers from San Francisco to Madrid are becoming more careful with their money and are looking to get more value out of their purchases. Temu’s mass appeal for consumers Temu’s affordable offerings across 29 major categories make it a valuable resource for households looking to stretch their budgets amid rising inflation and interest rates, according to Seema Shah of Sensor Tower. The app’s wide assortment of low-priced products, from electronics to home decor, has mass appeal.
“Shopping apps such as Temu offer incredible in-app deals for consumers, which are more relevant than ever as macroeconomic conditions have become increasingly constrained amidst rising inflation,” said Seema Shah, senior director of investor research at Sensor Tower, which tracks app performance. Temu has been able to achieve a balance between affordability and quality, helping its suppliers more accurately pinpoint consumer preferences so that they can match demand with more targeted products and cut waste. By connecting consumers directly to manufacturers through its digital platform, Temu is also reducing the number of intermediaries and the markups they charge for handling the products.
“Temu might be exposing a white space in the market wherein brands have been producing at an extremely low cost, and along the value chain, there’s been so much bloated cost passed on for margin,” Michael Felice, an associate partner at management consulting firm Kearney, told CNN. Temu is Google Editors’ Choice Temu was recently chosen as a Google Editors’ Choice app, a prestigious accolade given to apps and games demonstrating exceptional quality, innovation, and design. Receiving this recognition can significantly boost an app’s visibility, downloads, and ratings. For Leezan Da, a financial advisor in Vancouver, Washington, Temu offers budget options for essential items like stove liners, tea bags, and vegetable cutters, which don’t cost a lot but can yield savings. Like many consumers, Da does not believe in paying a premium for certain products and is happy with the quality of products from Temu for the price that she pays. She would recommend her friends to shop on Temu as well. “Don’t pay much, that’s what you get. I don’t complain about it,” she told the Los Angeles Times.
