A recent survey of 4,000 people in the US, UK, Canada and Australia by e-commerce marketing firm Omnisend found that Chinese markets are growing in popularity.
The results show that 60% of respondents have purchased from Chinese online stores in the past year, and 50% have purchased from more than one. In terms of familiarity, 72% of respondents are familiar with Temu and 55% are familiar with Shein.
The survey revealed that 48% of online shoppers have purchased items from Temu, 42% from Shein, and 28% from AliExpress. The most popular items include adult clothing from Shein (57%), home goods from Temu (35%), and accessories and beauty products from AliExpress (23%).
Distrust towards Temu
Although 94% of respondents said they do not trust Temu, they still shop there, despite Temu and Shein recently being found to have mishandled customer data. This surprising behavior shows that even with strong doubts about trust, many American shoppers are still attracted to Chinese online retailers because of their low prices and wide range of products.
Greg Zakowicz, Senior Ecommerce Expert at Omnisend, commented on Temu’s rapid consumer adoption, noting, “It’s not even been two years since Temu launched in the US, and it still exhibits a level of consumer awareness that rivals platforms like Amazon, which have been building their presence for decades.”
When comparing experiences, respondents gave Amazon an average score of 8.1 out of 10, praising its quality (59%), speed of delivery (58%) and ease of purchase (52%). In contrast, Temu received a lower score of 6.8 out of 10, with common complaints about poor quality (33%), long delivery times (26%) and excessive advertising (18%). Despite this, 53% like Temu for the quality of its products, 33% for its wide assortment and 31% for its ease of online shopping.
The survey also revealed a preference for Amazon for purchasing clothing, electronics and household items. Despite Temu's popularity for its lower prices, it is less popular in the electronics sector, but remains a go-to choice for purchasing clothing and household items at affordable prices.
“Our survey shows that consumers still find Amazon’s prices reasonable, even though Temu’s prices are much lower. This means that they understand that they have to pay a little more for better quality or service. However, competing with Chinese markets can be much more complicated for smaller brands with their own e-commerce stores,” Zakowicz added.
