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Kuwait Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Kuwait Times
The digital hoarders: Why Temu has a grip on Kuwait's Gen X men
Gen X and Boomers are Temu's most frequent users, placing twice as many orders as Gen Z By Dena Alfadhli KUWAIT: As Hamad scrolls through Facebook, his feed is flooded with ads from online marketplaces offering steep discounts on everything from phone chargers to quirky household gadgets. Intending to buy something specific for his desk, Hamad clicks on one of the ads. But minutes later, his cart is filled with an odd mix: knick-knacks, car accessories, stationery, and home tools. 'Basically,' he shrugs, 'anything cheap and interesting.' Hamad, who asked to be identified by a pseudonym, isn't alone. In an era of hyper-stylized influencer culture—dominated by TikTok Shop and Instagram's sleek storefronts—online marketplaces are capturing a different demographic: older shoppers. Specifically, Gen X and Baby Boomers, many of whom are discovering a renewed joy in bargain hunting. Temu is just one example of this. According to US-based research firm Attain, as reported by Bloomberg, Gen X and Boomers are Temu's most frequent users, placing an average of six orders a year—twice as many as Gen Z shoppers. 'For me, it's like falling into a rabbit hole,' Hamad says. 'You find things you didn't even know existed—and suddenly feel like you need them.' What appears to be harmless impulse shopping reflects something deeper: a fascination—especially among older men—with novelties that promise utility at a low cost. Arjun, a 56-year-old user in Kuwait, recounts buying oddly specific gifts: a mouthpiece that mimics birdsong and a spinning phone attachment for video effects. 'Anything you want, it's on there,' he says. 'Tell me what you're looking for, and I'll find it.' This photo shows a collection of fridge magnets, similar to those collected by Hamad and some Gen X men. This screenshot from Temu shows a variety of bird whistle mouthpieces, one of many knick-knacks found on the popular online marketplace. Young people unfazed While Gen Xers fall into the thrill of discovery, younger generations remain more skeptical. 'It just feels like a knockoff version of Amazon,' says Noor, a Kuwaiti college student. 'It's convenient, sure, but not that exciting. It reminds me of SHEIN.' Sara, a millennial user in Kuwait, says she feels misled by Temu, noting suspicious price fluctuations. 'I've noticed that when I leave items in my cart, the prices creep up slightly the next day,' she says, suspecting the app is nudging her to meet the platform's KD 14 minimum for checkout. According to NYU psychology professor Emily Balcetis, older shoppers are less aware of how platforms use gamification to drive spending. She told Bloomberg that features like flash deals, daily check-ins, and spin-to-win promotions are more effective on them than on younger digital natives, who tend to see through the tactics—or ignore them altogether. Other young buyers use the app occasionally, but their purchases tend to be less random and more intentional. Reina, a Gen Z user, said she used the app to buy decorations for a New Year's event, but hasn't returned since—explaining that she simply doesn't find much she needs on the platform. So, what's driving this generational divide in online shopping behavior? For many men in Gen X, bargain hunting is more than just saving money—it taps into an ingrained role as household provider. Omar, a father of three, jokes that he's constantly scanning for discounts. 'My daughters go through shampoo like they are drinking it,' he says. 'If there's a 2-for-1 deal, I'm buying it.' A 2022 study titled Sex Differences in Money Pathology in the General Population supports this. It suggests that men are more likely to associate shopping habits with providing for others, even when that leads to over-purchasing. Hamad also admits he checks ClickFlyer, a website aggregating local promotions, multiple times a day. 'If I skip a day, I feel like FOMO,' he says. 'Last week, I bought olive oil even though we had several bottles at home—just because it was on sale.' His wife, he says, doesn't share the enthusiasm. 'She gets frustrated when things pile up at home. Nostalgia's role Having grown up in an era shaped by coupon clipping, mail-order catalogs, and the thrill of a 'smart buy,' Gen X men may find Temu appealing not just for its prices, but for the nostalgia it evokes. Beyond flashy bargains and gamified discounts that echo the past, Temu also offers antique and vintage items that tap into those memories. Arjun, for example, says he's purchased vintage timepieces on the app—items he describes as 'not available in the normal market.' A 2023 Polish research paper titled Nostalgic Consumer Trends and Nostalgia Marketing found that 55 percent of Gen X respondents reported feeling emotionally connected to the 1990s—highlighting how nostalgia can drive consumer choices. Fred Davis, a professor at the University in California who helped establish nostalgia as a serious academic subject in sociology and cultural studies, expanded on this idea in his book Yearning for Yesterday. In it, he argues that nostalgia becomes especially potent in midlife, when people seek continuity and meaning through physical tokens. That behavior isn't exclusive to shopping apps. Many of these men describe long-running collecting habits. Hamad proudly displays a fridge magnet collection from places he's travelled 'worth thousands.' But it doesn't stop there. He also admits to collecting interesting looking water bottles, newspaper clippings, boarding passes, and even napkins he gets from restaurants that have sentimental value to him. Omar also admits to stockpiling gemstones for years. Straddling both analog and digital eras, Gen X consumers often display shopping and collecting habits rooted in a desire to stay connected to their pre-digital identities. Temu—with its endless assortment of quirky and nostalgic items, digital coupons and redeemable gifts —offers a kind of comfort, grounding them in a familiar sense of utility and discovery.
Kuwait Times
14-06-2025
- General
- Kuwait Times
New generation of Kuwaiti architects reimagines memory, place, and identity
By Dena Alfadhli Kuwait is entering a new chapter in how it values and preserves its cultural heritage. Efforts led by institutions such as the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) are paving the way for UNESCO World Heritage status for sites like Failaka Island and Al-Zour. Restoration projects at landmarks such as Al-Qurain House and Kuwait's old souqs signal a shift toward honoring history amid rapid modernization. A new wave of architects — many of whom participated in this year's Venice Architecture Biennale — is embracing heritage not as a relic, but as a foundation. They're reviving it to inform contemporary design and reconnect communities with place, memory, and identity. Amid accelerating modernization and globalization, these architects are raising a vital question: What happens when a nation loses touch with its architectural roots? Kuwait's built environment is at a crossroads. Once grounded in preservation and harmony with the natural landscape, its architecture now leans on imported styles and resource-heavy methods in an attempt to meet global standards. According to Mohammad Kassem, one of the curators of the Kuwait pavilion, the result is 'a patchwork of borrowed aesthetics — disconnected from local history, culture and climate'. That's why for this year's 2025 Architecture Biennale, Kassem — alongside Naser Ashour and Rabab Raes Kazem — led a collective of Kuwaiti architects, artists and designers to reimagine a future shaped by memory. Through their work, they ask: How can a city grow without forgetting where it came from? And how can architecture help us reconnect — with the land, our past and each other? Since 2013, Kuwait has actively participated in the Venice Architecture Biennale — one of the world's most prestigious events in architectural discourse. This year, under the sponsorship of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and the commission of NCCAL, Kuwait's contribution took shape in a pavilion titled Kaynuna, a word that refers to the essential nature of something — what makes it truly what it is. Alongside designing the pavilion itself, participants worked on group projects that reexamined Kuwait's past, present, and future in ways that transcend aesthetics. For Kassem, this 'essence' is about the values and history that shape us and form a lasting cultural identity. Drawing the souq back to life Among the contributors are Kuwaiti architects Qutaiba Buyabes, Alya Aly, Batool Ashour and Danah Alhasan, whose work explores how the future can be approached through memory — fragmented, emotional and imperfect. Their focus turned to Al-Ahmadi Souq, once the heart of a thriving oil town and part of Kuwait's original 'garden city' vision, now left in decay. Rather than restoring the mid-century market to its former state, they reimagined it through hand-drawn studies that blend memory with imagination. Here, drawing becomes a tool not for precision, but for storytelling — reviving elements like concrete arcades and fish-scale mashrabiyas as symbolic echoes. Their vision reclaims Ahmadi's spirit as a walkable, green, community-centered town — offering a poetic yet practical blueprint for how forgotten spaces might reconnect with both heritage and future needs. Reviving Kuwait's lost wall For generations, Kuwait's architecture quietly told a story of survival — homes built to breathe in desert heat, shaded courtyards that cooled the air, and walls made from coral stone and mud that stood resilient against scarcity. But as the city expanded, its protective wall was dismantled. Kuwaiti architects Ahmad Almutawa and Khaled Mohamed saw these walls as a vital part of the city's identity. With help from their research team, their project proposes reviving the wall — not as a fortress, but as a living pathway. It traces the original route through the city, particularly between two surviving gates: Al Jahra and Al Shamiya. Once points of defense, they are reimagined as gathering spaces and cultural markets — places to cross, pause, and reflect. Inspired by Shaheed Park, their design balances nature, heritage and contemporary urban design. The desert as archive Kuwaiti architects Khaled Alanjeri, Noor Abdulkhaleq, Nour Alkhader and their research team challenge the notion that the desert is barren or lifeless. Instead, they present it as a dynamic force that has shaped human settlement, building practices and cultural survival for generations. Their project revisits areas like Al-Adan and Shuaiba — once vibrant coastal communities that were erased to make way for oil refineries. These lost landscapes reveal the human and cultural cost of rapid industrialization. Rather than treating the desert as something to conquer or erase, their work proposes designing with it — honoring its ecological rhythms and cultural depth. The desert, they argue, is not just a backdrop, but a source of materials, a space of memory, and a witness to both fragility and resilience. From corner store to community anchor Another project focuses on the jameia — Kuwait's neighborhood cooperative society — not simply as a market, but as a legacy of community-driven development. Originating in the post-oil welfare era, jameiat reinvested profits into public life, anchoring new suburbs with parks, clinics and shared spaces. Architects explored how these planned neighborhoods still revolve around traditional institutions like mosques and diwaniyas, and imagined a future where jameiat evolve into cultural hubs — supporting artisans, reviving crafts and integrating heritage into daily life. Their vision demonstrates that modernization doesn't have to erase identity — it can reinforce it. Rather than shying away from uncertainty, these architects embrace it as a space for exploration and creativity. By bridging theory and practice, they challenge conventional thinking and propose alternative ways of seeing the world. As Rabab Raes Kazem puts it, 'Although these solutions fall under speculative situations, they engage the mind in ways that allow us to reclaim our history and build upon it a new future.' Arches of the souq reimagined. Bank windows Kaynuna Old souq Pavillion Salons The English Bookshop
