Top American retailers and brands benefit as U.S. shoppers pull back from Chinese discount platform, survey finds

AMERICAN SHOPPERS SWITCHED dramatically from Chinese ultra-discount retailers Temu and SHEIN to legacy American brands in April, according to a survey by Consumer Edge, a leading provider of global consumer data-driven insights.

The American brands include Old Navy, Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom Rack and Savers Value Village. They picked up a significant amount of redirected consumer dollars from former Temu and SHEIN shoppers, the survey finds.

According to the data, Temu's U.S. year-over-year spend growth slowed sharply in April 2025 — decelerating from nearly 50 percent growth at the start of the month to almost zero growth by the end. SHEIN experienced a similar deceleration, with year-over-year spend growth declining from approximately 30 percent to around 20 percent during the same period.

This dramatic slowdown coincides with rising U.S.-China trade tensions, the elimination of the duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value imports and a reduction in advertising spend that had previously fueled both platforms' rapid growth.

Analysis of shoppers

To identify where consumers spent their money, Consumer Edge analyzed shoppers who made at least two purchases at Temu or SHEIN in January or February 2025 but no purchases in March or April.

Key findings include:
  • Legacy department stores reclaim value shoppers: Bloomingdale's, Kohl's and Nordstrom Rack are pulling in significant dollars from ex-Temu and SHEIN shoppers, benefiting from their wide selections across categories.
  • Old Navy regains market share: Long known for its affordability, Old Navy is reclaiming cost-conscious shoppers and capturing spending from those moving away from ultra-discount platforms. Its broad assortment of clothing for all age groups and genders continues to resonate.
  • Resale gains ground: Savers Value Village is also seeing momentum as resale becomes the new value frontier.
  • Beauty shoppers shift: Retailer Ulta Beauty and brand SpoiledChild are benefiting from consumers looking to make personal care swaps.
"The data isn't just showing a slight dip — we're seeing a rapid reallocation of spend from these popular Chinese discount platforms, and we're able to isolate exactly who's driving it," says Michael Gunther, Vice President, Head of Insights, Consumer Edge.

"Our cohort analysis gives us the ability to track what former Temu and SHEIN shoppers are doing now — not just in general, but down to the specific brands seeing surges in growth among this group. The current political and economic climate, including policy shifts and pricing pressures, is causing U.S. consumers to alter their spending behavior drastically. Our near-real-time data shows where this significant shift in spend is landing."
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