Failed Temu? Just discard it... Koreans Enthusiastic about Temu and Alikang [Dito Society]

⑽ C-commerce Welcomed on YouTube Too... Beware of Side Effects
Bulk Purchases at Low Prices → Purchase Failures → Trash Bin
Buying Cheap but Risks Include Heavy Metals and Other Health Hazards

Editor's NoteSeoul National University Consumer Trend Analysis Center has identified 'Ditto consumption' as one of the top 10 keywords for 2024. Ditto, derived from the Latin word meaning 'the same,' refers to the tendency to follow celebrities' tastes and trends exactly when purchasing products or consuming content. This article analyzes the blind 'Ditto' phenomena in Korean society, such as luxury consumption among increasingly younger age groups and the growing trend of trend-chasing investments.

Content showcasing products cheaply purchased from Chinese e-commerce (C-commerce) platforms like Temu and AliExpress (Ali), known as 'Temukang' and 'Alikang,' is gaining popularity. Since these platforms have succeeded in entering the domestic market by leveraging price competitiveness, YouTubers' Temukang and Alikang content tends to involve buying products in bulk at low prices, creating an atmosphere where young viewers who enjoy YouTube imitate this behavior.

As of the 15th, there are approximately 3,800 and 1,800 videos tagged with 'Temukang' and 'Alikang' hashtags on YouTube, respectively. Creators share reviews of various products purchased from C-commerce, ranging from clothing and cosmetics to interior accessories. Temukang and Alikang are neologisms combining Temu or Ali with 'kang,' originally referring to the act of receiving event products for free from C-commerce platforms and opening them, but the term has since expanded to include bulk purchase review content.

There have already been 'Unboxing' and 'Haul' contents where people boast about shopping items and share reviews. These typically involve purchasing multiple products from a specific brand or product line and sharing usage reviews with viewers. Popular examples include 'luxury haul' that offers vicarious satisfaction to viewers and 'electronic device unboxing' that compares product performance to recommend better options.

The difference with Temukang and Alikang is that shopping failures are actually welcomed. Content sharing reviews of strange items is gaining attention just as much as content recommending inexpensive but high-quality products. Viewers find entertainment in watching YouTubers disappointed by products after opening the delivery packaging. Some YouTubers famous for Temukang even produce separate videos compiling failed purchases, such as 'Failed Temu Collections' and 'Overseas Direct Purchase Failures,' and consumers are starting to challenge Temukang and Alikang themselves.

Search results for 'Temukang failure' on YouTube on the 15th. [Image source=YouTube capture]

The problem is that the mindset of 'even if you fail, you break even' encourages reckless consumption, which leads to increased waste production. Because prices are low, products that are of lower quality than expected and difficult to use are quickly discarded. Detection of harmful substances to the human body is also an issue. Unlike domestically produced and distributed products, items purchased directly from overseas shopping malls are difficult to subject to domestic safety regulations. On the 10th, Seoul City announced that among 67 hygiene products, 62 cosmetics, 25 food containers, and 5 hiking clothes sold on AliExpress, Temu, and SHEIN, heavy metals were detected in six products.

In particular, five eye and eyebrow cosmetic products such as mascara sold on Ali greatly exceeded domestic standards for heavy metals like arsenic. Arsenic (As) was detected at 198.1 μg/g, which is 19.8 times higher than the domestic standard of 10 μg/g. Arsenic can cause toxicity to the skin, nervous system, and other organs, and continuous exposure may increase the risk of cancer.

The strap of a children's smart watch (left) and a pacifier for infants that were judged non-compliant in last month's safety inspection by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. [Image source=Seoul Metropolitan Government]

Products failing to meet domestic safety standards were also found among children's items. In last month's investigation by Seoul City, safety tests were conducted on 16 products sold on Temu and Ali, including smartwatch bands and pacifiers. The results showed that two types of smartwatch bands contained lead exceeding domestic standards by 121 times and 74 times, respectively. Lead exposure above safety limits can harm reproductive functions. Pacifiers for infants under 36 months used glass decorations, which are not allowed for products for children under 36 months, and also failed heat resistance tests.

Nevertheless, many domestic users still use C-commerce platforms. According to app retail analysis services WiseApp, Retail, and Goods, Ali's app monthly active users (MAU) number about 8.749 million, ranking second after Coupang. Temu's app monthly users also reached approximately 6.579 million, ranking fourth in MAU. MAU refers to the number of unique users who have used the app within a month.