Temu frenzy: The light and dark side of the platform, and how to score freebies

With mascara retailing for as little as R9 and electronics going from R5, Temu has positioned itself as a dominant player in the online retail space, and people all over the world are sold, especially when freebies are involved.

The Chinese-owned shopping app, which already has over 100 million downloads, has become highly sought after and giving rivals like Amazon and Takealot a run for their money and gaining viral status like its Chinese counterpart Shein, which has amassed over 500 million downloads.

The platform has been around since 2022, came to South Africa in January 2024, and has climbed to the top spot in the shopping categories on the App Store and Play Store. This is largely due to the amount of money spent on advertising and the enticingly low prices of items on offer.