Why is Temu so cheap? Shopping on the popular but ruthless Chinese app
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 19 September 2023
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to Temu, the world’s biggest bargain bin. Since launching just five months ago, the app has been downloaded more than nine million times in the UK alone. Our correspondent has spent a day shopping on Temu, and delves into the tricks the Chinese retailer uses to ruthlessly undercut its rivals.
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Guest: Sam Chambers, Chief Business Correspondent, The Sunday Times.
Host: Luke Jones.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today we have a bargain bucket, super discount episode. |
| 0:07.9 | So this one came in like £2. This was under £10. I bought it originally for like, I think |
| 0:14.9 | it was like $5 to $7. But no, no, I checked on Timo. $1.78, $1.78. Put your coupon book away. |
| 0:28.6 | We're looking at a new discount app that's recently exploded. |
| 0:33.2 | This is going to be a haul from a brand called Timo. |
| 0:38.8 | Timo, a Chinese app that landed on these shores only in April yet has already been downloaded |
| 0:45.2 | 9 million times. It's number one on the app store right now. |
| 0:49.1 | They have been all over my social media and they came to sell high quality items for |
| 0:54.2 | all prices online. Do you want LED lights for a Fiverr, an iPhone case for two actual |
| 1:05.4 | pounds sterling? In a cost of living crisis, people are filling their boots. But is it too |
| 1:10.5 | good to be true? And what's it doing to our battered high streets? |
| 1:14.3 | You only have to walk down many of our high streets and their shells, their former |
| 1:20.0 | A last minute's bid to rescue Wilcoe by the owner of HMV has collapsed. |
| 1:29.4 | You are listening to stories of our times from the times and the Sunday times. |
| 1:32.9 | I'm Luke Jones. Today, why is Timo so cheap? |
| 1:44.5 | I'm Sam Chambers, Chief Business Correspondent at the Sunday Times. |
| 1:48.5 | And part of your job is looking at all different trends and exciting new things in the world of |
| 1:53.0 | retail. We're going to be talking about an app called Timo. If we go through, have you got it on |
| 1:57.9 | your phone now, by any chance? Yeah, go on. So I'm opening the app. First thing I've got is |
| 2:03.6 | autumn offers up to 90% off. What kind of thing? So if I click onto that, there's some men's |
| 2:10.4 | sip pocket swimming trunks, £5.87. That's not bad. Yeah, pretty cheap. |
| 2:17.2 | Gotta buy that quite soon to get that one. This is one of their lightning deals. So you've |
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