As the Super Bowl came to a close, one Chinese e-commerce giant made a bold statement with a rare move. PDD Holdings, formerly known as Pinduoduo, aired a commercial for its U.S. shopping app, Temu. This effort showcases PDD’s ambitions to take on the American e-commerce market, following the footsteps of Chinese online shopping company Shein.
Titled “Shop Like A Billionaire,” the ad features a young woman who is shocked by the low prices of clothing and accessories available on Temu. The jingle goes, “The prices blow my mind. I feel so rich. I feel like a billionaire. I’m shopping like a billionaire.” PDD has a reputation in China for offering heavily discounted products to cater to lower-income consumers, and also bringing unique agricultural products like vegetables onto its platform to stand out from competitors like Alibaba and JD.com. With a net worth of $116 billion, PDD is one of the largest e-commerce companies in China.
Temu was launched in the United States in September 2022 and has already gained significant popularity, ranking second on the Apple App Store and first on the Google Play store. According to market research firm YipitData, the gross merchandise value, or the value of transactions, on Temu hit a record high of $46 million in the week ending January 29th. Temu offers a wide range of products, from fashion to electronics, and is currently offering free shipping as part of its Super Bowl promotion, along with what it calls “Game Day Deals.”
In recent years, Chinese e-commerce companies like Alibaba, JD.com, and PDD have all looked to expand overseas. PDD announced that it will begin shipping to Canada this month, while ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, launched its own fashion website named If Yooou, currently shipping to the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France.
As the global e-commerce market continues to grow into the trillions, more and more technology firms are eyeing a piece of the pie. PDD’s appearance during the Super Bowl is a testament to the company’s determination and confidence in breaking into the American market. Who knows, maybe one day soon, we’ll all be shopping like billionaires on Temu.
