E-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) has unveiled the beta version of a new ultra-cheap shopping app called ‘Amazon Haul’.
All products, including clothing, electronics and lifestyle item, are priced at $20 or less.
With Haul, Amazon is targeting a bargain-bin market currently dominated by Chinese e-commerce rival Temu.
It comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of low-cost online stores.
In September, the outgoing Joe Biden administration proposed new rules targeting Chinese e-commerce platforms including Shein, Temu and TikTok’s online marketplace.
The proposals aim to address abuses of the ‘de minimis’ exemption, which currently allows goods valued under $800 to enter the US duty-free with minimal information on their origin.
President-elect Donald Trump is likely to support these – or even stricter – measures as he has promised to impose rigid tariffs on Chinese imports to protect domestic industries.
“Finding great products at very low prices is important to customers, and we continue to explore ways that we can work with our selling partners so they can offer products at ultra-low prices,” said Dharmesh Mehta, vice president of Worldwide Selling Partner Services at Amazon.
“It’s early days for this experience, and we’ll continue to listen to customers as we refine and expand it in the weeks and months to come,” he added.