Facing competition from Shein and Temu, Amazon expands its ultra-low-price Haul offering

While Chinese platforms are sparking controversy in the West, Amazon’s response appears, for now, to have escaped criticism. Against this backdrop, the US giant is expanding its ultra-low-price programme, branded “Haul” or “Bazaar” depending on the country, into new markets, and it now has its own app.

“Haul” had already been progressively rolled out in the US, the UK, and Japan, as well as in France, Italy, Spain, and Australia. Under the name “Bazaar”, the offering had also reached the Mexican, Saudi, and Emirati markets.

Now supported by a dedicated mobile application called “Amazon Bazaar”, the programme is expanding to Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Nigeria.

“Amazon Haul and Amazon Bazaar provide the same ultra-competitive shopping experience, with different names chosen to better reflect local linguistic and cultural preferences,” the group explains. “Shoppers can browse fashion, home décor, and lifestyle items, most of which are priced at under $10.”

This statement underscores the prominent role that fashion is set to occupy in the “Haul” offer. While the group does not disclose a breakdown of sales by sector, it regularly notes that clothing is one of the largest categories on its marketplace.

“Haul” was conceived from the outset as a response to competition from Chinese platforms such as Shein and Temu. To attract the Chinese manufacturers operating on these two platforms, Amazon offered them, from 2024, the option to store their products in dedicated Chinese warehouses, from which orders are shipped immediately. This marks a departure from the previous arrangement, which required Chinese sellers to route their products through Amazon’s Western warehouses.

The launch of the app dedicated to the “Haul” offering comes at a delicate time for Amazon, which recently confirmed 14,000 job cuts — reductions largely linked to the gradual deployment of artificial intelligence across its organisation.