Social media ads flood our feeds daily, hourly and even by the minute. Brands get you once you’ve ‘clicked through’ their creative content, designed to entice you. Engage at your own risk: one click and the relationship between you and the brand has started, it’s a win for them and a potential cash loss for you.

Your data is captured, you are categorised into a segment and become part of an extensive list, then…boom, similar brands targeting specific data pools conveniently show up on your feed. From household products to clothing and all else at competitive prices, it’s easy to make a purchase or two using your digital wallet or, even easier, just ‘buy now, pay later’ platforms like Klarna and Clearpay.

Chinese shopping app Temu is the latest app on the scene that incentivises customers to invite a friend to join the app in exchange for free gifts. If you’ve ever shopped Shein, Wayfair, Wish or similar, and engaged with their content or bought anything via any Meta platform, then it’s highly likely that you’ve been tactfully targeted by Temu.

“Free gifting” is how Temu got me. The deal was I’d need to spend a certain amount to “qualify” for my chosen free items. Who doesn’t want a freebie? Once I physically received the free gift, naturally, the excitement would make me spread the word. FOMO would kick in and friends would want in on this freebie too.