What is super retail? And what do Temu and SHEIN have to do with it?

What is super retail and how did we get here?

By now, you must have heard of SHEIN and Temu, the retail giants reminiscent of super-apps, or "everything apps". You may have even made a purchase from them.

Recently, I asked a friend for recommendations on where to buy holiday outfits and they told me "I just buy mine off SHIEN." Similarly, when I needed to start shopping for bridal shower decorations, a colleague suggested I buy them in bulk from Temu because it'd be the most cost-effective option.

We explored why SHEIN and Temu are growing so rapidly. For this research piece, we didn't take the view of interrogating any of the ethical aspects of these emerging e-commerce giants, which are numerous. Instead, we focused on finding out what strategies super-retailers are using to put them on rapid growth trajectories. Our work to uncover this involved desk research, as well as interviews with consumers to identify the different shopper intents that drive decision-making and influence customer mindsets.

You can download and read the full report here.