Research project Why do consumers continue to shop from low-cost platforms such as Temu and Shein despite well-known concerns about sustainability, product safety, and ethics? This project examines why, how, and what Swedish consumers choose to buy, and how their decisions are shaped by price, social norms, and digital media. Using surveys, interviews, and analyses of online discussions, the project generates new insights into the drivers and consequences of low-cost consumption for retail.
Global low-cost platforms such as Temu and Shein are rapidly transforming retail by attracting consumers with extremely low prices. At the same time, they raise concerns about product safety, sustainability, and ethics. This project explores why consumers continue to shop from these platforms, how such purchases are justified and normalized, and what consequences they have for retail. Through surveys, interviews, and analyses of online consumer discussions, the project will generate new knowledge to support retail competitiveness and more sustainable consumption
Handelsrådet
The overall aim of the project is to explain why consumers continue to choose low-cost global e-commerce platforms despite well-known concerns related to product safety, sustainability, and ethics, and how these choices are legitimized and normalized at both the individual and societal levels. The project will also identify and explain the underlying psychological, economic, and social mechanisms that enable and sustain consumption on global low-cost platforms in a context where associated risks and problems are widely recognized. The project examines:
The project combines several complementary methods to develop a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour. Surveys will be used to investigate attitudes, values, and purchasing patterns among Swedish consumers. Interviews will provide richer insights into how consumers reason about price, risk, and sustainability in their purchasing decisions. In addition, the project will analyse publicly available digital consumer discussions on social media, online forums, and news comment sections to examine how consumption on low-cost platforms is debated, defended, and challenged. Together, they provide a comprehensive picture of individual and societal drivers of low-cost consumption.
