Chinese E-commerce Giant Temu Surges in Morocco Amid Quality Concerns

Launched in early 2024, Temu made a discreet entry into the Moroccan market. But for the past few months, the Chinese e-commerce platform has been rolling out its commercial strategy on Moroccan social networks, bombarding with advertisements on Facebook or Instagram and soliciting the services of Moroccan influencers who relay videos of personal purchases on Temu. The objective is clear: to encourage users to place orders. To win this bet, Temu offers attractive promotional codes, discounts of up to 50% for new registrants, and even offers free delivery.

A profitable strategy based on a "Consumer-to-Manufacturer" (C2M) model, which eliminates intermediaries. Thus, Chinese manufacturers offer their products at prices defying all competition, allowing consumers to buy them at a lower cost on the platform. But this strategy raises doubts, especially since Temu gives no information about the sellers, leaving no possibility for the user to know the identity of the company from which they are buying and to have a contact in case of dispute.

Moreover, the quality of the products offered, generally of Chinese origin and without a brand, can be problematic. Sources claim that some products offered on Temu present risks for consumers, citing in particular baby toys that can lead to choking hazards, cosmetic products marketed without complete mention of ingredients, or dangerous objects such as combat knives accessible without any age verification.

In their online reviews, many customers criticize Temu for unfair commercial practices, such as lowering prices excessively, crossing out prices, or publishing erroneous information about product availability. "I recently acquired a dashcam on Temu, attracted by its attractive price and promising features. While the image quality in broad daylight is correct, night vision remains very limited, with blurry images in the dark...", one user testifies. "The platform displays very low prices, but the quality leaves a lot to be desired... I ordered twice and I was never satisfied," confirms another.