Of all the TikTok trends, haul videos have proven one of the most popular, particularly among Gen Z. And when those TikTokers show off their shopping hauls, they’re most often sharing purchases from fast fashion maker Shein.
That’s according to new research from journey advertising platform, Illumin, which analyzed the top 50 most-viewed TikTok videos featuring clothing and home goods hauls. Shein appeared most frequently in videos tagged #haul, accounting for 42 percent of total products listed in clothing and home videos.
Haul videos have been around for a while, getting their start on YouTube and more recently filtering into Instagram and TikTok. Haul video makers show off new and usually large purchases of clothing, makeup, home goods, and other consumer products. As of this writing, #haul has 59.2 billion views on TikTok.
Fast fashion brands such as Shein work well for this type of content, as the total price of a haul-worthy purchase is more affordable. Illumin’s research found that the average cost per item for Shein products featured in haul videos was $9.33.
H&M came in second behind Shein for TikTok hauls according to Illumin, accounting for 8.2 percent of products featured. The third-most-popular brand, Temu, ranked with 7.7 percent of items featured. Rounding out the list were Walmart (7.2 percent), Amazon Home (6.2 percent), Cotton On (4.1 percent), Ikea (3.6 percent), Brandy (2.6 percent), Zara (2.1 percent) and Aussie interior design brand ma.debyc (1.5 percent).
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Clothing ranked more popular than home goods hauls on TikTok, with Shein topping the list for fashion brands with 38 percent of products featured. H&M once again came in second at 14.8 percent with Walmart close behind at 12 percent of items featured. Cotton On (7.4 percent), Brandy (4.6 percent) and Zara (3.7 percent) followed, rounded out by Adidas, Amazon, Hollister and Mure and Grand each accounting for 1.9 percent of products featured.
Looking at product types, tops were the most purchased and shared on haul videos.
“Tops are far more versatile than dresses and bottoms since they can be mixed, matched and accessorized in different ways,” a spokesperson for Ilumin said. “It makes sense that tops are the most popular clothing item in #hauls, as it signifies a shift in consumption culture towards pieces that have more versatility.”
Bottoms, which ranked second behind tops in featured items, most likely include looks such as tailored trousers or cargo pants as opposed to jeans.
“Jeans have long been falling out of favor with younger shoppers, who have shunned the once-popular skinny jean in favor of more comfortable, tailored pieces,” Ilumin’s spokesperson said. “The rise of working from home has also contributed to this, with workers opting more for comfort over style. This has prompted a rise in trends like quiet luxury and minimalism, as shoppers opt for diverse pieces over those that require a lot of styling.”
In the home category, Shein once again topped the list of most-featured haul brands with 50 percent of items. Temu (17.5 percent) and Amazon Home (12.5 percent) came in a distant second and third. Kitchenware came in first for home categories, making up 36.2 percent of items featured, followed by home accessories (30 percent) and office accessories (11.2 percent).
Though Shein comes out on top, Temu’s presence on this list shows how far the company has come since it launched in September last year. Part of PDD Holdings, which also owns Pinduoduo, the popular group-buying platform, Boston-headquartered Temu is quickly catching up to Shein, part of the reason why the two duked it out in court before settling at least part of their legal dispute.
Temu also is working hard to squash counterfeiters trying to encroach on its low-cost turf. It recently look legal action against several cybersquatters hoping to trade on its popularity. And a lawsuit claims the big Super Bowl spender violated Illinois data privacy laws, though the company disputes the allegations.
“The class-action lawsuit’s allegations are largely derived from a report by a short-selling firm, which has vested commercial interests in disseminating negative misinformation,” a Temu spokesperson told Sourcing Journal. “We strongly oppose the allegations contained within it. Furthermore, the same law firm has recently initiated class-action lawsuits against companies such as Amazon and Apple.”