Temu

Temu is an e-commerce company that has a marketplace for extremely discounted goods and products. It is an offshoot of Pinduoduo, an online marketplace for consumers in China. Both companies are owned by PDD Holdings. Temu was launched in the United States in 2022 and has since been launched in other countries, including Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Chile, and Malaysia.

To sign up with Temu, users can go to the website in their browsers or download the app. Users can register by entering their email or phone number or by connecting through their Google, Facebook, X, or Apple accounts. Users can scroll through the landing page to see sales and items on clearance. They can also shop according to category, such as home and kitchen, clothing, automotive, electronics, etc. If the user is shopping for a specific product, there is a search bar option available as well.

Temu also has pop-up games to incentivize users to purchase items. One such game is a spinning wheel, where users can stop the spinning wheel by clicking on it. They receive a digital prize, such as a coupon or a discount. The prizes are often tied to terms and conditions, such as having to promote the app in order to receive the prize.

Unlike its competitors, Temu does not have overnight shipping. The website states that it can take between five to thirty-five days to receive orders, depending on if the buyer has elected for express shipping. Temu states that goods and products are shipped directly from the source, which is normally in China, thus eliminating the need for a complex and more costly supply chain and contributing to the reason that goods can be purchased for such great discounts on Temu.

Temu has affiliate and influencer programs as part of its marketing efforts. Anyone can sign up for the affiliate program and share Temu links or codes. If someone else uses those links or codes, the affiliate receives a commission, which is capped at $100,000 per month. Affiliates can also receive bonuses for each new signup and login to the platform that comes from one of their links.

For the influencer program, content creators can apply and share information about their platforms, such as the number of followers they have and the engagement metrics on the account. If approved, the content creator can receive free products from Temu, and they are expected to create content with those products and share them with their audience.

Since its launch in 2022, there have been several allegations and lawsuits against Temu. A federal class action lawsuit was filed against Temu in November 2023, alleging that the company and app violate the privacy rights of its customers by collecting excessive amounts of data. The lawsuit also alleges that according to several reviews of the app (including one conducted by an independent expert), there are malware and spyware tools that are included in the app and thus included with every download. A separate class action lawsuit was also filed in New York in September 2023 and also alleges violations of customers' privacy.

Also in 2023, Temu was accused by a United States House committee of using forced labor, specifically from the Xinjiang region in China. The region is home to a large Uyghurs population, who are faced with imprisonment and other abuses due to their religion (Islam) and being an ethnic minority in China. It is alleged that during imprisonment, the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities are forced to do labor that includes picking cotton and making clothing for companies such as Temu. Temu denies these allegations.

Furthermore, Temu is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Based on customer reviews on the BBB website, Temu has 2.5/5 stars, and more than 1,700 customer complaints have been filed since 2022. Complaints are filed for reasons such as not receiving products, canceled orders, and refunds not being fulfilled.