E-commerce giants of the late ’90s and early ’00s like Amazon and eBay changed how the world shopped. Some of those companies have stuck around, but a new generation of commerce platforms is quickly gaining ground. Ultracheap retailers like Temu, Shein, and AliExpress are winning over customers, luring them in with bargain bin prices on products shipped directly from manufacturers in China. Shopping has also become a core part of business for social media companies — your TikTok feed is both a stream of videos and an endless shelf of products for sale. The Verge’s online shopping section covers how and what we buy and the forces driving this sprawling and opaque market.
After being banned from India in 2020 along with other Chinese apps, Shein won a rare exception — but it comes with strict parameters.
Among them: the fast fashion giant must hand over customer data to its Indian partner Reliance Retail. Shein products will also be produced locally, with government security audits.
The ultra-cheap online shopping app was also Apple’s most popular app in the US in 2023. On this year’s list, Temu is followed by Threads, TikTok, and ChatGPT.
NBC News reports that merchants on platforms like Etsy, eBay, and Redbubble are selling t-shirts, stickers and other products inspired by the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week.
Like clockwork, we see breaking news events followed by the immediate availability of merchandise thanks to dropshippers and print on demand services. It happened after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, too.
Can the legal system protect the vibe of a creator? And what if that vibe is basic?
The TikTok show Boy Room tours the disgusting bedrooms of men, cigarette butts, dirty clothes, and all. It’s gross, funny, and weirdly revealing — and now much more sanitized via an Amazon partnership.
In an HGTV-esque reboot, the show will now give home makeovers featuring Amazon furniture and decor. It serves as a front end to Amazon: Boy Room is also promoting the products via affiliate marketing.
Amazon announced a $20-and-under “Haul” section yesterday to compete with platforms like Temu — and it’s already filled with questionable listings.
ModernRetail rounded up a few, and scrolling through Amazon, it’s not totally clear to me whether images are AI-generated or just very poorly edited (probably both). You have to hand it to Amazon, though: it does look exactly like Temu.
The company announced today it’s opening up its AI ads tool to all advertisers — so prepare to see more AI content on your feed.
TikTok’s Symphony Creative Studio lets advertisers remix content and generate new videos promoting products in just a few minutes. Some of those ads even include AI avatars resembling humans.
Bloomberg reports the ultra-cheap online retailer will face an investigation over whether it’s doing enough to stop the sale of illegal products.
Temu is considered a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act, meaning it must comply with strict rules to avoid hefty fines. The EU had previously requested information from Temu about how it mitigates the risk of illegal products.
A t-shirt company is running thousands of ads claiming to donate a portion of sales to Trump, Harris, and other political causes, 404 reports. In reality, the company appears to be based abroad — which means it’s either lying about making campaign contributions, or illegally making campaign contributions.
Mike Jeffries, the longtime head of the mall fashion brand, has been charged with sex trafficking. Multiple men say they were sexually exploited at events held by Jeffries and associates, according to a BBC investigation.
A&F has an unsavory history involving racism and discrimination, recently chronicled in a 2022 documentary. Even so, business has been booming for the company in recent years.
The Associated Press chief photographer took the indelible photo of Donald Trump right after an assassination attempt that’s since been used (without permission) on everything from cheap t-shirts to digital icons.
$100,000 Trump-themed watches is apparently going too far: AP, which owns the rights to the image, told Wired it sent a cease and desist to the company making the unauthorized timepieces.
Nike is moving on from CEO John Donahoe less than a week after Bloomberg published its unflatteringly-titled profile of his four-year tenure.
Under Donahoe, Nike de-emphasized retail stores to chase direct sales, flooded the market with retros like the Panda Dunks, and put the RTFKT NFT shoe brand on the same level as the Swoosh and Jordan Jumpman.
Today’s announcement doesn’t include the RTFKT logo.
Wildly popular fashion designer Sandy Liang designed a Galaxy Z Flip 6 phone case and sent the device to influencers during New York Fashion Week.
Flip phones are experiencing something of a tech Renaissance among young people. This collaboration hits on the nostalgia and trendy aesthetics — but will it make anyone ditch their iPhone?
A new study found the number of people working in fashion in the city has dropped by nearly 30 percent since 2014 — just as Fashion Week kicks off on Friday.
The US fashion industry has been declining for decades, but companies like Shein and Temu threaten it even further. I recently discussed the rise of ultra fast fashion on Slate’s What Next podcast.
[Slate Magazine]
The platform’s Search Visibility Page tells sellers what they should update in their product listings to improve their position in the on-platform search — an important way for sellers to get in front of buyers. That might mean adding a return policy, swapping out a product image, or changing shipping cost.
[www.etsy.com]
The site’s search pages now feature larger product images with rounded edges, redesigned dropdown menus, and a new shopping view that eliminates ads from the sidebar.
Scroll through the pictures below and try to match each desk chair with the platform it’s for sale on: Amazon, AliExpress, or Shein.
The correct answer doesn’t really matter — as John Herrman writes, this is the state of online shopping, where products that look the same are for sale everywhere, often at different prices or by different sellers. Everywhere you look, products are cheap, fast, and anonymous.
Prices are rising as Shein eyes IPOs in the UK and the US. The average price of a dress is up 28 percent in the US compared to a year ago, for example.
Despite labor violations and the overall secrecy of the company, business is booming for the fast fashion brand. We’ll see if shoppers mind the slightly higher prices.
Shein, the Chinese fast fashion company popular in the US, recorded $32.2 billion in sales. To give you a sense of scale, Zara’s sales came in at $28 billion, and H&M’s at $22 billion.
Under EU regulations, Shein will face more scrutiny alongside companies like Amazon. Shein is expected to go public in the US this year.
Handmade marketplace Etsy is fighting for customers as shoppers turn instead of ultra cheap retailers, The Information reports. One problem is that Temu products are often listed for more money on Etsy.
Etsy sellers have long complained about drop shipped items infiltrating the site. It was a key issue in the 2022 seller strike and subsequent organizing efforts.
[The Information]
The e-comm giant is betting you might. Shein, mostly known for its bargain bin fashion items, is now looking to sell more household items from established brands like Colgate-Palmolive or Hasbro. It’s part of a strategy to challenge Amazon as Shein looks to IPO later this year.
[The Business of Fashion]
Ever struggle to get a table at buzzy New York restaurants? Blame the scalpers.
Reservation resellers scour platforms like Resy and OpenTable and resell their spots to the rich and the desperate. It’s apparently a booming industry: a sophomore at Brown says he made $70,000 last year selling reservations.
[The New Yorker]
