Forbes: Temu versus Dollar Stores

February 18, 2024

Temu has 14% of the U.S. discount retail market

Since its launch in September 2022, Temu has gone viral with consumers through a combination of savvy advertising (including two Super Bowl spots in early 2023 and 5 in 2024), strong influencer marketing with videos and livestreams, and using a referral reward system for new customers acquisition.

📝Today, Forbes quoted Running Point and I about the retail consumer phenom, Temu, in an article by Peter Cohan.

🛍️Temu with their “shop like a billionaire” slogan has mastered gamification and rewards to make online shopping fun, easy, and cheaper than other retailers.

📲Millennials and Gen Z blend their diverse identities within their social and fan communities and are much more likely to do so with a novel and fresh brand like Temu then with staid retail names unwilling to be hip. Temu has tapped into the discovery psychology of consumer behavior much like the old Filene’s Basement; people love to discover a find, especially one that seems fashion forward as opposed to unwanted close-out.

🏪Bigger picture, Temu and SHEIN create a marginal threat to dollar stores as well as Amazon, Shopify, eBay, Etsy, and Walmart. Their low-cost delivery system that benefits from tariff and trade law, is hard to beat.

Article excerpt is below:

“Temu has the advantage of novelty and excitement that is hard to re-create for staid low-end discount retail brands,” Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors, told CNBC.

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TEMU Carousel — Graphics, design, and video by Yrtist.com

All online shopping companies capture as much data as they can; it is a matter of who, what, where, how, why, and when.

Michael Ashley Schulman 😉

Disclosure: The opinions expressed are those of Running Point Capital Advisors, LLC (Running Point) and are subject to change without notice. The opinions referenced are as of the date of publication, may be modified due to changes in the market or economic conditions, and may not necessarily come to pass. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. Running Point is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about Running Point’s investment advisory services and fees can be found in its Form ADV Part 2, which is available upon request. RP-24-26