How do consumers compare Amazon and Temu?
A new survey of customers who have shopped both Amazon and Temu reveals some interesting findings.
In an email to Chain Store Age, Probolsky Research released results of a recent survey of 340 U.S. consumers who have made a purchase from Amazon and Temu within the past year and asked them compare the two e-tail giants on a number of factors. Results include:
Price
- Three-in-four (76%) respondents consider Temu cheaper than Amazon.
- Temu’s competitive pricing is a major draw for budget-conscious shoppers
Shipping speed
- Eight-in-10 (81%) respondents say Amazon’s shipping is much faster.
- According to Probolsky Research, Amazon’s efficient logistics and last-mile capabilities make it hard to beat in the shipping speed category.
Product Variety
- Close to half of respondents (45%) find similar variety on both platforms.
- A majority of respondents who think one retailer has a wider product selection favor Amazon.
Return policies and customer service
- Respondents are evenly split on which e-tailer provides better return policies.
- However, 50% of respondents rate Amazon’s customer service as better and 45% rate customer service offered by the two companies as similar. Only 5% said Temu has superior customer service.
Importance of reviews
- Close to six-in-10 (58%) respondents value reviews equally on both platforms.
- About one-in-three (32%) respondents consider reviews more important on Amazon, with only 10% saying reviews are more important on Temu.
[READ MORE: Amazon reportedly preparing to directly compete with Temu & Shein]
Probolsky Research analysis indicates that while both companies have their strengths, Temu wins with respondents on price, while Amazon comes out ahead in shipping speed and product variety.
A separate survey of U.S. teens with average age 16 from Piper Sandler Companies revealed that Amazon was the top-rated shopping site among respondents (55%), while Temu came in fifth place with only 2% of respondents citing it as their favorite shopping site.
The online panel-driven survey was conducted from June 21 to 24, 2024 with a margin of error of +/-5.6%. No client was associated with the study, which was conducted for public interest.
