Temu, a newcomer in the online shopping industry, appears to be gaining popularity among South African consumers. How does this site compare to other online shopping platforms like Shein and Takealot?
The increasing craze for Temu stems from the appeal of its lower prices, attracting more consumers who are exposed to the e-commerce platform through social media advertisements
To see how Temu stands against other popular sites like Shein and Takealot, we compared the prices of 10 various items from the three online shopping sites.
Heart necklace
Temu: R43
Shein: R33
Takealot: R139
Pantry storage container
Temu: R124
Shein: R107
Takealot: R189
Flat top Kabuki make-up brush
Temu: R26
Shein: R29
Takealot: R155
Slide sandals for women
Temu: R118
Shein: R93
Takealot: R210
Pet plush toy
Temu: R36
Shein: R56
Takealot: R80
Transparent phone case for a Samsung device
Temu: R22
Shein: R23
Takealot: R48
TWS wireless earbuds
Temu: R61
Shein: R72
Takealot: R129
Insulated travel mug
Temu: R159
Shein: R261
Takealot: R368
35cm plush teddy bear
Temu: R93
Shein: R137
Takealot: R249
Double breasted blazer for women
Temu: R359
Shein: R292
Takealot: R895
Shipping costs
While consumers may be excited about the cheap prices, they should also keep in mind the cost of shipping the items to them.
According to the Shein website, the cost of shipping depends on the total cost of a person’s purchase.
If the purchase is less than R590 then the cost to ship is R150. If a person spends between R590 and R1,050, the cost of shipping is R150. Shein offers free shipping for orders worth over R1,050.
For Temu shipping is free. However consumers need to be aware that may need to pay for customs for their orders.
Takealot offers people various shipping options.
According the Takealot site, standard delivery is free for orders that are R500 or more while orders worth less than R500 have a R70 delivery fee attached. Heavy or bulky goods have a R200 surplus charge and same day delivery costs R95.
Next Business Day delivery with Takealot for orders worth R500 or more cost R75 if the order if less than R500 then the cost is R90.
Virtual cards
While may be searching for the cheapest deal that you can find, it is also important that you be safe when shopping online. One of the ways that people can be safe when transacting online to use their virtual cards to pay for the goods.
According to the Lauren Deva, Pillar head for Commercial Transactional Pillar at FNB Commercial, using virtual cards considerably reduces the risk of online fraud as the verification data is always different.
Virtual cards can be a safer way that consumers pay for orders online because every virtual card will have its own unique card number, expiry date and card verification value (CVV) that is always changing.
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