TEMU ISN'T GOING AWAY

I have been writing 13 reports on Temu for Tech Buzz China. There is so much to learn about the company, and it is changing so fast and agile that I actually had to create a 'Temu Watch' series that is now a quarterly update.

In April, in 'Temu Watch #7: Will tariffs kill Temu?' I reported how the import tariffs in the US would have little impact on Temu. In June, I shared in 'Temu Watch #8: How Temu responded to US tariffs' how Temu only suffered a temporary setback when the US cancelled their de minimis. And not specifically because of that cancellation, but because of the 120% tariffs that were applicable at the time.

When these came down to 54%, Temu restarted its fully managed business, and in August, I shared in 'Temu Watch #9: Temu's US Recovery' that Temu had nearly rebounded from its setbacks and was continuing its growth path.

I shared my insights about the lack of impact of the tariffs in the US at the K5 - Future Retail conference in Berlin and the Hovedorganisasjonen Virke conference in Lillestrom, Norway. I shared my insights in various interviews and podcasts. I commented here on LinkedIn that thinking Temu will go away when the EU cancels its 150 euro import tax exemption is wishful thinking.

I'm currently working on the new Temu Watch report, which is so packed with new insights on its pricing, logistics, operational models and profitability (yes, it will be profitable very soon) that I will have to make it a two-part update. This will be published on Tech Buzz China next week and the week after. If you work in retail, do yourself a favour: stop your wishful thinking and read them online to get real insights. Yes, our reports are largely behind a paywall because we also have bills to pay. However, the $25 for a monthly subscription (2 reports) or $250 for an annual subscription (25 reports) could well be the best investment you will make in a long time.

In the meantime, here's a little sneak preview: Temu's expected GMV in the US and Europe this year and the next. Whether we like it or not, Temu ain't going anywhere, and we ain't seen nothing yet.

-Ed

Find the Temu archive on Tech Buzz China here: