Wong, a third-year student at the University of Toronto in the mental health studies program, said she was skeptical at first.

Janis Wong, 20, said she was first introduced to Temu through her aunt, who had sent referral codes to family and friends.

Learn about accessible sustainability through clothing, food, agriculture and nature in the series, A Happier Planet with Jamila Pomeroy. For the Creator Network, Jamila Pomeroy shares her low-impact fashion tips, seeks sustainable fashion solutions and meets sustainable fashion designer Kristen Ley. WATCH | Sustainable solutions to fast fashion:ĭuration 5:35 The average Canadian throws away 81 pounds of textile waste each year. 'This unique combination of super cheap products, crazy marketing, combined with the social gamification thing they have going on has kind of led to them kind of ascending to the top pretty quickly,' said Sekar. Sekar, whose research specializes in online marketplaces, describes it as a 'growth-at-all-costs' approach.Ī big contributor to Temu's popularity is their referral strategy, Sekar said, which he calls a 'borderline pyramid scheme,' where users are encouraged to get their contacts to download the app in exchange for free gifts or in-app credit. On YouTube, videos on their official account alone have grossed over 215 million views since last August.

The hashtag #temu on TikTok has now amassed 1.3 billion views. Its massive popularity has been bolstered by an aggressive social media marketing campaign.

Ultra-fast fashion site Shein has captured the wallets of young shoppers.

As TikTok faces data-harvesting claims, spy agency warns Canadians to protect themselves.

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