Amazon announced the launch of its new online retail site ‘Haul’ on Wednesday, hoping to lure US bargain shoppers away from rival Chinese e-commerce sites Temu and Shein. But will low-quality items sink the new venture?
Move over Shein and Temu, Amazon Haul has now joined the rock bottom priced e-commerce party.
Timing its introduction only weeks before Black Friday and Cyber Monday mania kicks off the holiday season, the online retail giant had announced its plans for the low-priced online storefront back in July.
With its “Say Hello to Crazy Prices” tagline, Amazon is betting on Haul to revive sales lost to its Chinese counterparts Temu and Shein, known for its dirt-cheap offerings of fast fashion and lifestyle products.
The Haul e-commerce site will offer a “broad selection of products $20 or less, with most under $10, and some costing as little as $1,” Amazon said.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy had said in August that average selling prices were falling because customers were trading down to cheaper items and buying more essential goods.
Jassy also commented that sales for big ticket items such as computers and electronics had slowed down due to the strained economy.
“Finding great products at very low prices is important to customers, and we continue to explore ways that we can work with our selling partners so they can offer products at ultra-low prices,” said Dharmesh Mehta, Vice President of Amazon's Worldwide Selling Partner Services on Wednesday.
In keeping with Amazon tradition, the company is offering free returns on all Haul products within 15 days of purchase on any item costing over $3.
Items offered will feature “fashion, home, lifestyle, electronics, and other products, all backed by Amazon’s A-to-z Guarantee, with delivery times of one to two weeks,” the company noted.
Competition heats up, but what about quality?
Through Amazon’s new storefront, Chinese sellers can ship products directly to US consumers – although it remains to be seen if the quality of those items will rise to the occasion and outshine its Chinese-based competitors.
Amazon says it will screen all products sold on Haul, guaranteeing customers will “receive products that are safe, authentic, and compliant with applicable regulations.”
In September, the US Consumer Products Safety Commission announced an investigation into Temu, Shein, and other Chinese-based discount online retailers for allegedly selling deadly baby and toddler products to US customers.
According to the probe, outlawed items such as padded crib bumpers for babies and drawstring hoodies for toddlers – both of which could result in suffocation – were available on the sites for purchase and delivery to the US in violation of the US Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).
Still in beta, Haul is now available to US consumers through the Amazon Shopping app and mobile website by typing in Haul in the Amazon search box. User's apps will automatically update to include the Haul storefront on their next open.
“It’s early days for this experience, and we’ll continue to listen to customers as we refine and expand it in the weeks and months to come,” Amazon's Mehta said.
Amazon offers more than 300 million products in over 35 product categories on its e-commerce site, according to the company’s website.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are markedmarked