You may have started seeing adverts on your social media feed for a website called Temu. Its motto is “shop like a billionaire” and it sells… well, pretty much everything. The only thing the products in its marketplace have in common is that they’re dirt cheap and made in China.
It’s the global wing of a Chinese e-commerce shopping company and burst onto the scene in 2022. It’s now worth just under 150 billion dollars. It’s aggressively marketed itself, releasing glossy adverts during the Superbowl, cultivating an army of influencers and offering promotions that encourage users to sign up other shoppers for cash giveaways.
But the small print details of these deals got some experts worried about data and privacy protection.
Alex chats to BBC Business and Tech reporter Sam Gruet talk about the origins of the company and how it manages to make money when its products are so cheap.
Hannah speaks to BBC journalist Tom Espiner about the giveaway promotion and why users may have signed away more than they’d bargained for.
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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart and Alex Rhodes Producers: Baldeep Chahal and Maria Clara Montoya Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks