The shopping golfer: Temu and the discount battle
The discount battle has started: 10.10 pounds for a pair of supposedly windproof gloves, a maximum of 15 pounds for a golf skirt. An enormous amount of golf products. The Chinese online retailer Temu advertises – not just before Back Friday – with “incredible deals”, “sales” and “free shipping”. Who wouldn’t want to buy?
EU investigation proceedings
How do golfers shop? This question arises in view of the growing market presence of Temu, which the European Union recently investigated. The reason: suspected breaches of consumer protection law. The company is accused of not taking sufficient action against the sale of illegal or dangerous products and of using potentially addictive design elements. We are familiar with the function of ticket platforms, which also constantly trick online visitors into believing that they have to purchase in the shortest possible time in order to get hold of a ticket. Around 45 million people in the EU shop on the platform, which competes with other online commerce services such as Amazon and Shein.
According to Joanna Czutkowna, specialist in sustainable sports fashion and founder of 5Thread, Temu’s importance in the functional sportswear sector is still limited: “When it comes to sports fashion, the platform provides low cost options for casual and amateur golfers. However, its current focus leans more towards affordability than performance or innovation in sportswear. Brands specialising in technical sports apparel still lead in quality and functionality, making Temu less of a player in this segment.”
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News & trends about sustainability in golf
Regarding sustainability, there are several question marks over Temu’s quality. According to experts from consumer advice centres, greenwashing is an issue here because the company advertises climate-friendly transport to a pick-up station, although the deliveries come from China anyway, and the carbon footprint of the delivery, as well as the possible return transport in the event of an exchange, is poor. The treatment of harmful substances in the products has also not been clarified, as no environmental or sustainability certificates are applied to the clothing. The extent to which European safety standards, for example, are taken into account has not been clarified.
More transparency in supply chains
Super cheap or sustainable? Non-transparent production and supply chains or transparent presentation of the origin of a product? Fashion expert Czutkowna believes the EU’s intervention is important: “The EU’s proposed regulations on clothing and textiles reflect the urgent need to address fashions environmental and ethical impact. For a platform like Temu, which is built on offering low cost, trend-driven products, stricter legislation could significantly impact its operational model, especially in terms of supply chain transparency and product sustainability.”
Ultimately, however, consumers decide the success rate of an online platform with one click. The online range of sustainable golf products is sparse anyway. In recent years, Puma, Reflo, Calvin Green and Glenmuir have made a name for themselves as relevant brands with a sustainable approach. In the accessories and equipment sector, small brands such as Greenup Golf and Tomorrow Golf are fighting for market share. In the seller platform segment, wholesalers such as Decathlon or Golf House in Germany at least have references to sustainable products on their online platforms. With American retailers such as PGA Superstore or The Golf Warehouse, the word sustainability is not even mentioned on the home page.
Few sustainable products on the market
Sales specialists for sustainable products don’t find it easy to find products that meet their standards anyway. Georgina Devane, the British founder of GolfingGreen, who went online with her platform in mid-2024, has discovered this in painstaking detail. “In the end, it’s relatively difficult to say what the truly sustainable products are. Many products are more sustainable in some areas and less so in others.” In the end, she concludes, she can only point this out as a salesperson. “Something sustainable is definitely better than nothing at all,” she concludes. The pragmatism that golfers in search of a sustainable product generally have to agree with. The likelihood of finding sustainable golf products in a golf store at the club or a sports department store is still extremely low at the moment. For this reason alone, as a buyer, you usually have to fall back on the – generally less sustainable – mail order business. Alternatively, you could simply reconsider your purchase.
