
Temu, Shein See US Sales Surge Ahead of Small-Parcel Tariff
Online shopping giants Temu and Shein saw their sales rebound in March and April as US shoppers stockpiled products like makeup brushes and home appliances before tariff-led price increases set in.
Shein recorded some of its best US sales growth in the past 12 months as revenue jumped 29% in March compared to a year earlier and then accelerated further to 38% over the first 11 days of April, the latest date for which data is available. Meanwhile, PDD Holdings Inc.'s Temu saw growth of 46% and 60% over the same periods, according to Bloomberg Second Measure, which analyzes credit and debit card data. The accelerating growth for the two platforms came after a slowdown in February, when both companies posted their slowest growth in the past year.

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2 hours ago
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Daily US users of PDD Holdings' global discount e-commerce platform Temu fell by 58 percent in May, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, one of many headwinds the e-retailer is facing amid a US-China trade war. Temu decided to slash ad spending in the US and shift its order fulfilment strategy after the White House on May 2 ended the practice known as 'de minimis' — which allowed Chinese companies to ship low-value packages to the United States tariff-free. Temu, along with fast-fashion giant Shein, had utilised that provision for years to drop-ship items directly from suppliers in China to consumers in the US, keeping prices low. Both Temu and Shein have suffered a sharp drop in sales growth and customer growth rates since US President Donald Trump announced sweeping trade tariffs, according to data collected by consultancy Bain & Company, but Temu's trends have been worse than its rival. ADVERTISEMENT Tariffs forced both platforms to raise prices, but Shein has been able to increase the amount of money spent per customer compared to a year ago, the data showed, while Temu has struggled. Temu did not respond to a request for comment on the drop in US daily users or the headwinds it faces in the US market. Engagement on Temu has dropped significantly following the end of the exemption, Morgan Stanley equity analyst Simeon Gutman said in a May note. 'While the tariff environment is uncertain, if the status quo remains for an extended period, we believe Temu's competitive threat will continue to weaken,' Gutman said. Last week, PDD's first quarter earnings fell short of growth estimates and executives told analysts on a post-earnings call that tariffs had created significant pressure for its merchants. They reiterated Temu's earlier pledge to keep prices stable and work with merchants across regions, referring to a shift to a local fulfilment model announced at the start of May. Temu's previous business model gave merchants responsibility for ordering and supplying their products while the China-based company managed most of the logistics, pricing and marketing. Now, Temu's merchants 'can ship individual orders from China to Temu-partnered US warehouses but they would need to address tariffs and customs charges and paper work,' according to a note from analysts at HSBC. Temu continues to handle fulfilling orders close to shoppers, setting prices and online operations. ADVERTISEMENT In last week's note, HSBC said that Temu's growth in non-US markets has picked up, with non-US users rising to 90 percent of its 405 million global monthly active users in the second quarter. 'New user uptick grew swiftest in less affluent markets,' analysts wrote. By Casey Hall and Arriana McLymore; Editing by Nia Williams Learn more: Temu-Owner PDD Holdings Misses Quarterly Revenue Estimates Despite price slashing from retailers and government stimulus measures to boost consumer spending, the e-commerce company's year-on-year net income fell 47 percent.
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