Shopping apps from Temu and Shein have been named among the most downloaded free iPhone apps of the year in the UK from the Apple Store.
The tech giant has published its annual list of the most popular app downloads, which also named the puzzle game Block Blast! as the most downloaded free game on the iPhone. However, shopping apps came in strong at second place.
Shein and Temu weren’t the only shopping apps to boast increasing popularity in the UK. Another shopping app, second-hand marketplace Vinted, was the fourth-most downloaded free iPhone app of the year, just behind Meta’s X rival Threads.
The app for AI chatbot ChatGPT was fifth in that list, ahead of TikTok, the Tesco app, WhatsApp, Google and the Microsoft Authenticator app.
Temu and Shein are becoming increasingly popular here in the UK, thanks to their competitive pricing. On their apps, the retailers offer exclusive discounts, bringing their already low prices even lower.
Shein, in particular, is putting down roots here in the UK. Earlier this month, the retailer hosted the third instalment of its Christmas bus tour. The pink and red-clad bus made stops at 12 major cities across the UK, including Manchester, Liverpool and Cardiff where customers and celebrities hopped aboard to interact with festive fashion.
In October 2024, Shein declared that UK sales had topped £1.5 billion in the last year, and profits had doubled as it continued to cash in on trends and draw in shoppers with low-cost items.
After months of speculaton, last month it was reported that Shein is preparing to launch an IPO on the London Stock Exchange in the first quarter of 2025. The blockbuster float is expected to value the retail giant at around £50 billion.
However, The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has paused its approval of the fast fashion retailer’s IPO as they carry out supply chain checks.
It follows pressure from Stop Uyghur Genocide (SUG), an advocacy group acting on behalf of China’s Uyghur population, which formulated a legal challenge in June – and sent the FCA a dossier in August – alleging that Shein uses cotton from China’s Xinjiang region.
