As early as last year, there were rumors that Temu was setting its sights on the vast market outside the United States. This rumor was quickly confirmed, and Temu has successively deployed new sites in multiple regions, including Vietnam and Brunei in Southeast Asia, Kazakhstan in Central Asia, Georgia in West Asia, Malta in Southern Europe, and Brazil in Latin America. In November 2024, Temu made a stunning debut in the African market in Nigeria.

Temu's debut in Nigeria can be called a "raid". Local consumers said that "overnight, Temu's advertisements were overwhelming." So, two months after it went online, how is Temu performing in this large African country?

In just two months since its launch, Temu has been downloaded in Nigeria over 500 million times

Survey data from the Nigerian media Business Hallmark shows that Temu has fulfilled 45% of the daily orders of Nigerian consumers, far exceeding Jumia (21.4%) and Konga (16.5%), and other e-commerce platforms only accounted for 17.1%. This means that soon after Temu entered the Nigerian market, it quickly seized the market share of local e-commerce platforms. These platforms are facing a "crisis" of being surpassed by Temu.

Data from Similarweb also confirms this. Temu became the most downloaded application in Nigeria's Google Play Store and Apple App Store in 2024, with a combined download count exceeding 500 million times.

Temu’s popularity in Nigeria is driven by multiple factors

Since entering the Nigerian market in November 2024, Temu has quickly won the favor of local consumers with its unique marketing strategy, cost-effective products and nationwide free shipping services.

Nigerian consumers can purchase a variety of affordable goods on Temu, such as electrical appliances, electronic products, kitchen equipment, furniture, clothing, mobile phones, laptops, shoes, etc., directly from Chinese manufacturers.

In addition, Temu users also have the opportunity to receive large discounts of up to 300,000 Naira (approximately US$195) through the roulette lottery. Some consumers revealed that they obtained coupons worth 250,000 naira (approximately US$162) through the roulette lottery, and used this discount to purchase cooking pots, blenders and other products.

Temu is able to offer such competitive products, partly because consumers can buy directly from manufacturers, and partly because of its partnership with Speedaf Express, which reduces shipping/delivery costs.

Therefore, Temu is able to provide free shipping services to users. In addition to low prices and free delivery, another major advantage of Temu in the local area is the 90-day no-questions-asked return guarantee, while the return and exchange time of local e-commerce giants Jumia and Konga is only 7 days.

However, Temu also has shortcomings locally. Compared with local platforms, its products take longer to be shipped and delivered. Items ordered from the Temu platform take approximately 2 weeks to be delivered to Nigerian consumers. Therefore, most consumers who choose Temu are users who can wait patiently, which also leaves some room for local e-commerce platforms to survive.

One year after launch, one out of three South Africans became a Temu user

When it comes to Nigeria, we have to mention South Africa, another African market that Temu launched in January last year.

One year after being launched in South Africa, Temu has achieved remarkable results. It has not only become an important force in the country's e-commerce field, but also changed the way South Africans shop online.

A South African consumer with the ID name Songca shared on TikTok a kitchen sink he purchased in Temu for 3,750 rand (approximately US$202.3). This sink has rich configurations, outstanding quality, and a surprising price. The video has been viewed more than 400,000 times and sparked widespread discussion.

Songca is just one example of many South African Temu users.

South African media News24 recently conducted a survey with the support of Temu. The results showed that 1 in every 3 South Africans has used Temu, and nearly 40% of the respondents have become active users of the platform.

The survey was conducted among 1,700 South African consumers and focused on the platform’s attractiveness, affordability, trust and accessibility.

The investigation found that the key to Temu’s rapid rise in South Africa lies in its platform features. 81% of surveyed users recognized its affordable prices, and 46% said using the platform saved more than half of their usual shopping budget. This has accumulated a loyal customer base for the platform, and 77% of users expressed their willingness to recommend Temu to friends and family.

In addition, 45% of respondents recognized Temu’s ability to provide high-quality goods at competitive prices. Some media commented that “Temu meets a wide range of user needs and preferences by combining affordability with quality.”

The survey also revealed that another reason for Temu’s popularity in South Africa is the wide variety of products it offers. Among them, electronics and appliances (41%), home decoration and furniture (37%), kitchen appliances (32%) and jewelry (31%) are the most popular categories. At the same time, some higher-priced products, such as inverters and batteries, have also attracted attention because of their price advantages compared with similar local products.

It’s worth mentioning that price remains a top consideration for South African shoppers. 65% of respondents said price is the most important factor when making a purchase.

Although Temu's rapid rise in South Africa has put considerable pressure on local platforms, industry analysts emphasized that "the e-commerce war is far from over, and local South African platforms are still gaining a foothold." In South Africa, Takealot and Checkers Sixty60 are still the market leaders, with market shares reaching 15%-20% and 12%-15% respectively.

Temu's performance report shows that Africa, as an emerging market, has huge potential in e-commerce. At the same time, African consumers' focus on price and product quality also provides the core layout for sellers targeting the African market, enabling them to better adapt to the local market.