It is a good thing that this is an opinion piece, because boy do I have some major hot takes on this topic. I will forever be a loyal member and consumer of Temu’s competitor, the fast fashion organization Shein. Some people do not like fast fashion due to the excess waste, and they refuse to shop anywhere that is not local or a small business. I respect that opinion and agree with it, however my bank account does not.
Surprisingly, over the last year, Temu has become overly popular in the United States, to the point where its commercials premiered multiple times during the Superbowl. What I want to know is how an online store overseas became a benefactor to the Superbowl here in America and got to play their ad a bazillion times.
During the 2024 Super Bowl, Temu alone was featured in five commercials, in which their slogan was “shop like a billionaire.” These ads were heavily animated and featured characters shopping online and having products appear right in front of them. In my personal experience, when I get a package from Temu, the quality of the clothing does not feel like I’m a “billionaire” and I am not as satisfied as the people in the ad. Sure, most of the clothing on Temu ranges from six to ten dollars depending on the style, so below-average material quality is expected. However, these advertisements falsely advertised their company and product.
After hearing these ads over and over again while watching the Superbowl, the only thing I got out of it was that I had been pronouncing “Temu” wrong this entire time – probably with over half of Temu shoppers. I wholeheartedly believe that Temu did not need to be featured so many times throughout the Super Bowl. Temu was one of the only companies that showed their ad multiple times within the game. I get running the ad maybe somewhere around the beginning and then again when the Super Bowl is coming to an end, but FIVE times? When does it get to be too many? The fact that they showed it so many times is absurd and completely crazy. I actually think that overplaying this commercial may have turned some shoppers away and discouraged potential shoppers from buying through Temu. I already thought it was annoying by the third ad or so. The music just ruined it for me, having to hear it over and over again.
However, I am biased toward Shein, because it is literally my favorite place to shop.
After doing a bit of research (shopping) on Temu, I realized that the prices conveyed in the Super Bowl ads underestimated the prices of some products. I would not say that the products are super expensive compared to other companies, but I have yet to see a piece of furniture for $9.99 as expressed in the superbowl commercials. When ordering from Temu, packages could take anywhere from one to four weeks to be delivered.
Of course, I am aware of the fact that even on a site like Shein, it could also take up to a month to receive a package. I, however, have never actually had this problem with Shein. When I order from Shein, the estimated delivery is around a week from the date of purchase, though most of the time it comes within two weeks. In my opinion, Shein has better quality clothing for the same low prices. I will never again buy sweatpants from any other site due to the high quality of the ones I regularly buy from Shein for $12.99. I am sure some things on Temu are better quality than others, but at the end of the day, if you are going to participate in fast fashion, it might as well be with Shein.
