Arriving in Europe with a bang in 2023, Temu has swiftly repositioned the e-commerce market, dominated online advertising displays, caught the attention of consumers, and increasingly won the wallets of Finns. At the same time, concerns and discussions have emerged over the competitive conditions of e-commerce and future prospects. We have compiled the sharpest tools for conquering Temu within the Finnish e-commerce scene.

An incredibly wide product range, extremely low prices, aggressive discount campaigns, and highly gamified shopping experiences attract consumers, and the Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has quickly gained over 90 million users in Europe. This creates competitiveness challenges for local operators. Is Finnish e-commerce ready to meet this challenge?

Instead of panicking, direct your energy toward developing your online store. A massive player like Temu cannot offer what you can: localism, specialisation, and unique customer experiences. Read our tips below on how to make your e-commerce stand out to your advantage.

1. Strengthen Your Brand – Stand Out with Emotions and Stories

Temu is generic and global, but a local online store can offer customers a deeper connection. The core of your brand is your story. When you know your customers and dare to be distinctive, you build loyalty and stand out from the competition.

• What evokes emotions in your brand? The most important piece of brand communication is your own voice, whether it's beautiful, funny, or even slightly cheeky.

2. Do Not Offer “Everything for Everyone”

Who is your customer, what do they purchase from you? Instead of focusing on competitors, it is essential to focus on identifying and better serving your own customers. Temu offers "everything for everyone," but this is also its weakness.

By specialising, you can create a stronger connection with a specific customer base. Niche markets allow for specialisation and deep expertise, which often leads to a better customer experience and customer loyalty.

• Identify your most important customers and build your product range around their needs. Ask your existing customers what they like and what they would change. 

3. Create a Memorable Customer Experience

Temu is a master of gamification and strong messaging, partly thanks to an endless marketing budget. But this doesn't mean you shouldn't learn from the application's buying experience. Developing a smooth e-commerce experience is essential, ensuring the site loads quickly, products are easy to find, and the payment process is seamless.

• When did you last audit the different sections of your e-commerce path through the eyes of different customer segments? Are all payment methods and delivery options that your customers seek available at the checkout?

4. Invest in Content and Visibility – SEO and Digital Marketing

No matter how finely tuned your online store is, effective sales cannot occur without visitors. Although the competitor's advertising budget is at a billion level, with quality, search-optimised content, you can effectively achieve good visibility in key channels.

As Temu dominates search engine advertising spots and organic results with mass and volume, focus on precisely meeting customers' interests and needs.

• What are the most important channels for your e-commerce? A particular channel can deliver a large amount of traffic without conversions, while another, with smaller traffic volumes, can be an extremely effective conversion channel.

• Create content that answers your customers' questions and needs.

5. Continuously Develop and Innovate – Curiosity and Persistence Pay Off

Temu is evidence that the e-commerce market is constantly changing and evolving. New ways of trading are continually emerging. The greatest threat to competitiveness arises when excitement wins out, and a company no longer trusts its own vision, forgets data analysis, and doesn’t systematically push development forward.

As an e-commerce merchant, it is crucial to remain curious and actively follow industry developments. Support, brainstorming, and synergy are always beneficial.

• Follow new trends and do not be afraid to try new things. Analyse and optimise.

Are you ready to challenge competitors and take your online store to the next level? Contact us!