More than $37 billion in online shopping was spent during Cyber Week, the five days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday. Granted much of that lined the pockets of Amazon and eBay, but there are two other companies, Temu and Shein, both based in China, that spend heavily to promote online shopping. What is heavy spending? Try $10 million a day on Facebook and Google.
Both companies offer products at extremely low prices. Who doesn’t like a bargain? Here’s the rub. Temu is owned by PDD Holdings which owns Pinduoduo, a hugely popular Chinese e-commerce giant which has been accused of spying on its users.
So, how safe is it to order from either Temu or Shein? Cross Link Consulting CEO, Patrick Reynolds, whose company is dedicated to IT challenges and cyber security has some words of advice.
“They’ve had two strikes against them so far. #1, nefarious activities and #2, if it’s too good to be true, it usually is. Be wary of who you shop with and who you are supporting. At this point, both companies are like the Amazon of China but it’s also a safe assumption that your info could be compromised,” Reynolds explained.
Earlier this year, a U.S. congressional commission called out Shein and Temu in a report that suggested the companies and others in China were potentially linked to the use of forced labor, exploitation of trade loopholes, product safety hazards, or intellectual property theft.
“If you are shopping online, do more research. Don’t let price be your only deciding factor. Stay mainstream when you can. Don’t click before you read.”
The Chinese-owned and-operated online shopping platform Temu was also hit with a privacy class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois last month for allegedly failing to disclose to users that it collected their data without consent and that the information could be demanded by the Chinese government at any time.
Although Cross Link is primarily dedicated to business IT solutions and cyber security, his expertise is viable for consumers.
While the global e-commerce market is expected to take off, so is the U.S. e-commerce market. This is great news if you’d like to target customers on a national level. Even if you’re located in one state, you can sell to those across the country. E-commerce is an easy and affordable way to boost your U.S. sales.
Most of the local companies we interview for stories for ABD are marketing through E-commerce.
Editor’s Note:
Mitzi Oxford is a veteran broadcaster and features writer who also worked at the same television station in Columbus, Georgia as Augusta’s Brad Means! If you have a South Carolina story idea for Mitzi, please email her at mitzioxfordcreative@gmail.com.
