• Temu was the most downloaded Gen Z app in the US in the first 10 months of 2024.
• Users aged 18 to 24 downloaded the app nearly 42 million times from January to October.
• Low prices, convenience and gamification of shopping are among its selling points.

America’s Gen Z is really here for Temu.

The Chinese online marketplace was the most downloaded app by Gen Zers in the first 10 months of the year. It has been downloaded nearly 42 million times by this group.

That’s according to app analytics company Appfigures, which pulled data from iOS and Android users between the ages of 18 and 24. Some Gen Zers are under 18, but Appfigures excluded them from their findings, citing privacy concerns for underage users.

The data represented in Appfigures’ findings shows the number of downloads by this demographic between January 1 and October 31 and represents US data only.

The report found that TikTok ranked second for total downloads during this time period, with 33 million downloads. Meta’s Threads app has been downloaded 32 million times.

fearedwhich is owned by Chinese company PDD Holdings, sells everything from home goods to motorcycle accessories, all at low cost. The app is characterized by massive discounts, with vouchers appearing while browsing.

Sory Park, a project manager at Daxue Consulting, a China-focused market research firm, said Temu effectively gamified the countdown and rewards.

“It has also added gamified elements including countdowns and rewards to its shopping experience, which increases user engagement and prompts users to ‘buy now or never,'” Park told Business Insider.

Accessible, affordable, personalized

Temu is growing fast too popularity extends far beyond Gen Z.

PDD Holdings reported revenue of $13.4 billion for the three months ended June 30. This is an 86% increase over the same period last year. In February, this one spent millions of dollars on Super Bowl ads to win the US market.

However, Amazon – which has been downloaded 15 million times this year by Gen Zers in the US, per Appfigures – still has a stranglehold on the online shopping market.

Amazon earned $61.4 billion in online sales in the three months ended Sept. 30, up 7 percent from the same period last year.

On November 13, Amazon launched its discount store, Temu’s rival, Amazon Haul, where all products are priced at $20 or less.

Jim Whaley, CEO of New York-based market research firm OvationMR, said Temu is popular with Gen Z because it offers a shopping experience that is affordable, accessible and personalized.

“Genia Z values ​​a highly curated shopping experience that offers both variety and convenience at affordable price points,” said Whaley.

Gloria Gan, a lifestyle analyst at UK-based market research firm Mintel, said Temu is making inroads into Gen Z because of the generation’s “technology-savvy and frequent online shopping habits”.

Gan said that while Amazon has a dominant position in the market, Temu is also a force to be reckoned with due to its efficient online service and value for money offerings.

In response to BI’s query, a Temu spokesperson told BI that the company “strives to have a positive impact on people’s daily lives by offering a wide selection of quality products at affordable prices.”

Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.