Parents fall in love with Temu's cheap goods, causing a "new generation gap" in American families

Since its launch in September 2022, Temu has been soaring in the U.S. market, and has quickly won a large number of consumers with keywords such as "low price", "discount" and "cut a lot of money".

However, the platform has also sparked controversy. Relevant data shows that in March this year, users aged 55 to 64 in the United States were the fastest growing group of Temu, so some people pointed out that the main consumer force behind Temu is likely to be the middle-aged and elderly groups.

A while ago, foreign media reported that Temu attracted many elderly consumers with its super-low-priced goods, a phenomenon that disgusted many young people .

It is understood that many young people quarrel with their elders because they often buy cheap or even useless things on the platform. One young person pointed out that his father would send her the download link of Temu every day in order to get points. Others said that since their parents downloaded Temu, they were like possessed by evil spirits, and the kitchen and bathroom were full of things bought on it.

Due to the difference in the perception of the value of goods, the middle-aged and elderly groups regard Temu as a "shopping paradise" and love the low-priced goods there , while the young groups love big brands and are strongly dissatisfied with cheap goods. This contradiction has not only caused a "new generation gap" between Generation Z and their parents, but also set off an uproar on social media.

Many young users began to post a series of videos on TikTok, including "teasing, complaining, and satirizing," to boycott Temu, which attracted widespread attention and discussion.

In addition to encountering strong resistance from the younger generation , the U.S. Customs recently announced a new policy that is unfavorable to Temu . In the future , it will conduct stricter inspections on "small exemption" goods entering the United States from foreign countries , which will undoubtedly add new restrictions to the platform.

Despite the constant pressure, Temu continued to go against the current in the United States, with its popularity, status and sales continuing to grow.

According to YouGov data, 88% of respondents in the United States have heard of Temu , and more than half of them said they heard about Temu through online advertising. It can be seen that Temu successfully raised the platform's popularity by purchasing expensive advertising space during the Super Bowl.

On the other hand, Temu ranks first in the number of app downloads in the US APP store, and the number of independent visitors has reached 467 million, ranking second among global e-commerce platforms, second only to Amazon. From January 2023 to 2024, its sales directly increased by 840%, and the growth of retail sales in March this year also exceeded expectations .

Under a series of strong pressures, Temu has successfully won the favor of a large number of users with its low-priced products and unique marketing methods . However, as consumerism prevails in the future, the market and policies will continue to change. If Temu wants to gain a firm foothold in the e-commerce platform, it needs to flexibly adjust its strategy.

Temu

Generation Gap

Low-priced goods