Shoppers like Temu’s discounts, but trust Amazon

Temu has high discounts but low levels of consumer trust.

A new survey reveals the different aspects that consumers appreciate about Temu and Amazon, as well as possible threats to Temu’s strongest selling point.

E-commerce marketing company Omnisend analyzed data on Temu and Amazon – examining differences in cost and product quality and how often inventory matched between the two. Omnisend also surveyed U.S. consumers about their shopping habits on the two sites.

The study found that on average, consumers can save 40% ($13.37 per product) by shopping at Temu. However, new U.S. tariffs on goods imported from China (Temu is based in Boston but has close ties to mainland China and mainly sells Chinese goods) may lead to cost increases for American consumers.

Meanwhile, 53% of survey respondents shopped on Temu in the last year, with 5% shopping several times per week. However, only 5% say they trust Temu. This is compared to 75% of respondents who have shopped on Amazon. Close to one in five (18%) do so more than once per week, with a significantly higher 87% trusting Amazon.

The study also found that 77% of Amazon products have a similar product on Temu, with every 10th product being identical. However, Omnisend analysis further discovered that many bargains on Temu appear to be product knockoffs, and many product reviews may have been manipulated. 

The shipping time for items ordered on Temu is also much longer than those ordered on Amazon or any other U.S.-based e-commerce platform, according to Omnisend.