How worried should Amazon be about Shein and Temu?
Dirt-cheap products and marketing splurges are catching clicks
“Shop like a billionaire.” With that enticing slogan Temu touted itself to Americans watching the Super Bowl on February 11th. Football fans had been treated to a similar advert from the e-commerce company at last year’s event. But this time the message was hammered home. In all, Temu’s ad played five times. That won’t have been cheap. A 30-second slot during this year’s Super Bowl cost around $7m. JPMorgan Chase, a bank, reckons the company will spend $3bn on marketing this year, up from $1.7bn in 2023.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Boxing match”
Business February 17th 2024
- China is quietly reducing its reliance on foreign chip technology
- Japan’s semiconductor toolmakers are booming
- Suitors are wooing Paramount
- Why Costco is so loved
- How to benefit from the conversations you have at work
- How worried should Amazon be about Shein and Temu?
- The row over US Steel shows the new meaning of national security
Discover more
Could seaweed replace plastic packaging?
Companies are experimenting with new ways to reduce plastic waste
Has Sequoia Capital outgrown its business model?
Venture capital’s hardiest perennial gets back to its roots
On stupid rules and quick wins
Why every boss can benefit from asking employees what most infuriates them
TikTok wants Western consumers to shop like the Chinese
It still has some convincing to do
Will the trouble ever end for Volkswagen and its rivals?
From strikes to Trump tariffs, calamities abound
After Northvolt’s failure, who will make Europe’s EV batteries?
The continent looks ever more reliant on Asian producers