Temu Vanishes from Google Shopping Ads as U.S. Pressure Mounts

Temu's rapid rise in the U.S. took a sharp turn last week after the eCommerce giant suddenly pulled all its Google Shopping ads, causing its app store ranking to nosedive almost overnight.

The move was first reported by Mike Ryan, head of eCommerce insights at Smarter Ecommerce, who shared that Temu’s impression share dropped steeply before disappearing from ad auction data altogether by April 12.

The abrupt shift coincides with the U.S. administration’s decision to raise tariffs on Chinese imports up to 125%, a move widely seen as a response to the growing dominance of Chinese platforms like Temu and Shein.

Furthermore, the government is also tightening rules around the “de minimis” loophole, which Temu had relied on to ship products from manufacturers directly to American consumers with minimal oversight.

The Disappearance in Effect

With no Google Shopping presence, Temu's App Store position fell from a consistent third or fourth to 58th by April 12.

The latest events serve as a stark reminder of how dependent some eCommerce platforms remain on paid advertising for user acquisition.

For marketers, this signals a temporary reshuffling in the ad industry, particularly for AdTech companies navigating auction-based advertising.

Temu’s strategy, heavily funded by its parent company PDD, focused on aggressive ad spend and loss-leader pricing to grow U.S. market share.

However, as geopolitical tensions rise and import policies tighten, the sustainability of that approach is being tested.

The ripple effects may benefit competitors — at least for now.

According to Ryan, advertisers could see short-term dipsin cost per mille (CPM) and cost per click (CPC) rates as Temu’s aggressive bidding exits the scene, mirroring what happened when Amazon briefly scaled back digital ad spend during early pandemic disruptions.

Still, this isn't necessarily the end of Temu in the U.S.

Unlike failed discount retailer Wish, Ryan believes Temu’s parent company remains financially stable, and trade policy remains a moving target.

Temu may return. But its pause sends a clear signal: growth at any cost doesn’t hold up when politics are not in its favor.

Previously, Disney Advertising enabled ad purchasing for live events across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ all at once in the U.S.