Algorithms Redefine Shopping Behaviour: How Chinese E-Commerce Platforms Manipulate Consumers
Boedapest, dinsdag, 10 juni 2025.
The rise of Chinese e-commerce platforms like Temu and Shein reveals a radical transformation in online shopping behaviour. Algorithms are no longer supportive but the primary architects of consumer choices. Through hyper-targeted recommendations and impulse mechanisms, purchase patterns are fundamentally redefined. Notably, an average fast fashion item is worn only seven times before being discarded, indicating an unsustainable consumption model. Technological innovation goes beyond pure transactionality and creates a manipulated ecosystem where algorithms, not consumers, hold the actual decision-making power.
Algorithms as Decision-Making Power
The modern online shopping experience is dominated by advanced algorithms that fundamentally transform consumer behaviour. Chinese e-commerce platforms like Temu and Shein have created a new paradigm where purchases are no longer solely driven by individual needs, but by sophisticated technological manipulation [1]. The algorithms analyse every user interaction - from click behaviour to scrolling speed - to generate hyper-personalised purchase impulses [2].
Consumption Patterns in Transition
Research shows that an average fast fashion item is worn only 7 times before being discarded [1]. This points to an unsustainable consumption model where algorithms encourage consumers towards excessive and impulsive purchases. Approximately 25% of all online transactions currently occur via e-commerce platforms, underlining the increasing influence of this algorithmic decision-making [3].
Environmental Impact of Algorithmic Marketing
The ecological consequences of this algorithmically-driven consumption are significant. Research from the Vaayu climate technology startup reveals that users saved 679 kilotonnes of CO₂ emissions in 2023 by purchasing second-hand clothing [1]. Moreover, 72% of consumers indicate buying less clothing, and 36% pay more attention to existing garments with resale potential [1].