Chinese marketplaces are gaining popularity among Australian consumers with 7 in 10 of us shopping in these ecommerce spaces over the last year, according to a recent survey by Omnisend.

The ecommerce marketing company's survey polled 1000 Australian citizens and revealed 70% of Australians have shopped in Chinese marketplaces in the past year, with 56% shopping in more than one marketplace.

The most popular Chinese marketplaces among Australians are Temu, known to 76% of the population, and Shein, known to 56%. Of those who shop online, 56% have bought something from Temu, 45% from Shein, and 31% from AliExpress. The most popular items to buy are adult clothes from Shein (57%), household items from Temu (35%), and electronics from AliExpress (20%).

Despite only 12% of respondents stating they trust Temu, this does not deter them from shopping on the platform.

"Only a year has passed since Temu was launched in Australia and it is now the fifth most popular ecommerce platform in the country, according to our survey, approaching the awareness level that other more established platforms, such as Amazon, have been building for decades. The Temu phenomenon has also brought other Chinese marketplaces to light, creating serious competition to local brands because of their cheap pricing," said Greg Zakowicz, senior ecommerce expert at Omnisend.

About 20% of Australians see Temu as the main competitor for Amazon.

"While 88% of respondents state they don’t trust Temu, it seems that this doesn’t stop them from shopping on the Chinese-owned platform," Zakowicz added.

The survey also revealed consumers' impressions of delivery times vary from person to person.

"What may seem like a long delivery time for one person, may be totally reasonable for another. Our survey showed 24% of respondents are willing to wait more than a week for their package, and one in ten would even be willing to wait more than two weeks," Zakowicz explained.

Price has a lot to do with it. Omnisend findings suggested Amazon's prices are perceived as too expensive compared to Chinese marketplaces.

"However, Amazon is available to compete because of its reputation and fast delivery. Competing with Chinese marketplaces can be much more complicated for smaller brands with their own ecommerce shops," Zakowicz said.

The survey was commissioned by Omnisend and conducted by Cint in April 2024.