Temu has dominated the iPhone and Android app stores in the U.S. so far this year, spending more time at the top of the charts than any other free app, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower—as the China-based ultracheap ecommerce giant continues to break into the U.S. market.
Temu has spent the most time in the number one spot across iPhone and Android app stores in 2024 as of June 15, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
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Key Takeaways
- Online marketplace Temu spent 72 days as the No. 1 app in terms of downloads on the iPhone App Store—including 13 consecutive days in the top slot, according to Sensor Tower.
- Temu also ranked No. 1 for free Android apps, spending 85 days atop Android’s Google Play store—27 of which were consecutive—making it the biggest free app of 2024 so far, according to Sensor Tower.
- Sensor Tower analysed data from Jan. 1 to June 15, listing the top 200 apps in respective categories.
Top Free Iphone Apps Based On Length At Top Spot, According To Sensor Tower
- Temu (72 days at #1)
- Threads (18)
- Delta (14)
- Call of Duty (12)
- ChatGPT (6)
- Squad Busters (6)
Top Free Android Apps, According To Sensor Tower
- Temu (85 days at #1)
- TikTok (16)
- WhatsApp (10)
- Tonkeeper (10)
- Messenger (7)
- Squad Busters (6)
Key Background
Temu is a Chinese-owned online marketplace that has taken the U.S. market by storm since its 2022 launch. Akin to Shein, an online fast fashion marketplace, consumers have flocked to the app for its wide array of cheap items, including clothes and other goods. Marco Scacchi, senior qualitative insights analyst at Sensor Tower, said Temu has “established itself as a major player in the US market” in addition to dominating the charts.
Scacchi said Temu has been the most downloaded app in the U.S. in each quarter since the first of 2023, citing Sensor Tower data, and it also has the second-highest ad impressions in the U.S. behind Amazon.com.
The marketplace has drawn regulatory scrutiny amid its surging popularity, as legislators have accused it of potentially allowing products made with forced labor to enter the United States. In April, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., called on the Department of Homeland Security to investigate Shein and Temu for such allegations (Temu and Shein both say they do not tolerate forced labor).
Related
Surprising Fact
Temu may have spent upwards of tens of millions on the six ads it ran throughout the Feb. 11 Super Bowl, according to Bloomberg.
The ad blitz followed a reported decline in sales on the app. At the end of January, Temu faced “a noticeable decline” in rankings on both Android and iPhone charts, according to Scacchi, but experienced a recovery before the Super Bowl in mid-February. The app reached the fourth spot on the iPhone chart on Feb. 10 and 11, Scacchi said, remaining in the sixth spot for Androids—but the ranking started to improve shortly after.
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