For Isidora Olave shopping centers were left behind. This young Chilean buys in Shein, Temu or Aliexpress, the online stores ultra-cheap Chinese companies whose aggressive competition pushes America Latina to protect her trade retail.
Young university students, active on social networks but above all lovers of “ultra fast fashion“(fashion fast at a very low price), Olave and her group of friends are part of the global trend of on-demand consumers.
“I bought in Sheinbecause I needed it for a specific occasion and it was cheaper than buying it here in Chili“says this 20-year-old dentistry student.
You just opened the last package sent from China: a t-shirt, a skirt and a set of glitter stickers. It was $15, half of what he would have paid at a local store, he says.
According to Statistathe specialized data site, in 2022 the trade online moved 122,000 million dollars in America Latin America and could reach 200,000 million in 2026.
AliExpress, Shein and Temu are behind this formidable expansion, which confirms the weight of China in the region, historically an area of influence of States Joined.
In a further sign of its progress, China plans to inaugurate the Chancay megaport, in Peru, within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) summit being held this week in Lima.
Pressure on Customs
Driven by the pandemic, the business model of Shein either Temu consists of offering products at a very low price after direct purchase from suppliers and agreements with transport companies, with a wide range that includes everything from tools and household and electronic items, to decoration and clothes.
In the Customs of Santiago The movement is incessant: every day it reviews – and dispatches – more than 80,000 packages to avoid the smuggling of products and drugs.
While in 2023 they received 20 million shipments, in 2024 they project to reach 30 million.
In the last five years, the receipt of packages grew around 1,000%.
“It has been a significant challenge to address all the risks and what this significant influx of shipments operationally implies,” he explains. Maria José Rodríguez, head of the Inspection Department of the Customs Metropolitan of Chili.
In an attempt to protect the local industry and increase revenue, Chili and Brazil They recently eliminated tax exemptions for purchases abroad below $41 and $50 respectively.
Mexico announced that it will strengthen control of this activity commercial.
Ephemeral pleasure
The Union European announced in October an investigation into Temu for alleged sale of illicit products through these platforms.
There is also the risk of potential addictive that they entail.
“At night, instead of watching a series, many people sit in front of a screen to browse, walk, watch; buy or not buy,” he describes. Veronica Masonierpsychologist expert in market and trends.
To the consumers They are motivated by “enjoying the new and the replacement,” he adds, although he warns that it is a “very ephemeral” pleasure. After a while the purchase becomes irrelevant.
Overstimulated by social networks, young people are the most exposed, especially to the purchase of clothes to use and discard.
“It is purely an issue of opportunity, between a very cheap offer for people who have stopped considering the clothes as a durable product,” explains the journalist Sofia Baldsustainability consultant fashion.
In May 2023 congressmen of States Joined They asked to investigate Temu and Shein and other firms for the exploitation of members of the Muslim Uyghur ethnic group in the Xinjiang region of western China. China.
According to the UNthe industry fashion It is responsible for more than 8% of greenhouse gas emissions and 20% of wastewater in the world.
And despite its potential reuse, 85% of the clothes ends up burned or garbage canslike that of the Atacama Desert, in the north of Chili.
Meantime, Shein continues to strengthen its presence in America Latina. Your president for the region Marcelo Claureassured that the giant of fashion fast wants to “put 2,000 factories” in Brazil.
“Brazil It is going to be an export hub to manufacture and deliver the product in America Latina,” he said last year in an interview with the information portal 360.
