Comment analysis: Depot went bankrupt. Is Temu to blame?
- Editorial Team
- Feb 16
- 4 min read
In January 2025, 20 minutes discussed the end of Depot in Switzerland. Depot is insolvent: is Temu to blame? - A total of 231 comments were found online after the article was published. The reader contributions provide valuable insights into the public perception of Depot's insolvency and in particular into Temu's role. Three central clusters can be formed that relate directly to the competition between Depot and Temu:
Depot went bankrupt: Is Temu to blame?
1. Perception of Depot as an intermediary for Far Eastern products
A recurring theme in the comments is the belief that Depot ultimately sold the same goods as Temu - just at significantly higher prices. Many users argue that retailers can no longer justify their margins on Chinese products if consumers can order the same goods online themselves:
"Depot sold goods from the Far East. So why pay 3-4 times more for the same thing?"
"Temu sells exactly the same items, but without the Swiss markup."
"You used to be able to work like that: buy cheaply and sell at a high markup. But today anyone can order directly from China. The model is dead."
Many commentators are particularly critical of the fact that Depot apparently did not offer an alternative to Temu - neither in terms of quality nor service:
"If they had had a better product range or better prices, Depot would have survived."
"The only advantage of these stores: you can touch the (Chinese) goods before buying them... and then put them back on the shelf."
→ Conclusion: Many commentators do not see Depot's demise as a result of unfair competition from Temu, but rather as a consequence of Depot being an inefficient middleman. The criticism is directed less against online retail itself, but rather against the price-performance ratio in brick-and-mortar retail.
2. Price perception: Depot was too expensive for too little added value
Another big issue is the perception that Depot prices were disproportionate to product quality. Many commentators report that they found the prices unreasonably high, especially when they knew that the products came from China:
"Table lamp at Depot: CHF 56.–, at Temu: CHF 2.94. Do we need any more explanation?"
"Depot simply sold Temu products at the Swiss price. People are no longer willing to pay these Swiss surcharges."
"Depot was always too expensive for me anyway - and that for Asian junk."
At the same time, several comments emphasize that the high prices in Switzerland are not only due to the greed of the retailers, but also to high operating costs:
"Of course Temu is cheaper - but a shop has to pay rent and wages. How is that supposed to work?"
"In Switzerland, the fixed costs are enormous - high wages, expensive rents, expensive insurance. Depot had to charge higher prices."
→ Conclusion: Customers were willing to pay for quality and service - but not for overpriced mass-produced goods from China. Depot was perceived as a chain that offered high-priced products without any real added value.
3. Structural change in retail: Temu as a symptom, not a cause
Many comments put Depot's bankruptcy into a larger economic context: Retail is changing radically, and Temu is only a symptom of this change, not its cause.
"Depot is not bankrupt because of Temu. Online retail is changing - customers have different expectations today."
"The problem is not Temu, but that traditional retailers have not understood that they have to stand out."
"IKEA and other retailers have no problems despite Temu. Why? Because they position themselves cleverly."
There is also an economically critical perspective that sees the high price structure in Switzerland as an obstacle for retail:
"If rents and wages in Switzerland are so high, then retail has no choice but to be more expensive. But who is going to pay for that?"
"It's not just about Temu, but about the fact that consumer behavior is changing completely. Anyone who runs a business today has to adapt to that."
→ Conclusion: Many commentators do not see Temu as an "evil force" that destroyed Depot, but as a platform that accelerates structural change in retail. Depot could have survived if it had adapted earlier and differentiated itself from online competitors.
Comment Analysis - Advanced Evaluation Methods
Communication Metrics
We not only measure how many comments and replies were posted but also do further calculations to understand the type of communication and to be able to derive instructions for action.
In total there were 231 comments and a lot of interaction between each other (31% bidirectional communication).
Polarization
Our degree of polarization reflects the extent of polarization in opinions. The more the bars dominate on the left or right, the more pronounced the opinion field is. In our case we see a stronger distribution on the right, but some also feeling strongly negatively about the article's hypothesis.
Network
With the help of the network representation, it is possible to make statements about communication types and their interaction.
Shown are "nodes", the small points that represent acting people, and "edges", which are the connecting lines between actors or with themselves.
We also differentiate between centralized (the master account determines communication) and decentralized communication styles. In the example on the left, separate discussion groups are formed independently of the author of the post.
We also record the hierarchy of the actual text.