Pinduoduo

Founded in 2015 by Colin Huang, Pinduoduo started as an agriculture online retailer before transitioning to a third-party platform model connecting merchants and consumers across multiple product categories.[11][12]

In 2019, Pinduoduo invested in building an agriculture-focused logistics infosystem that employs algorithms to better plan transportation routes. The logistics system laid the foundations for a next-day, click-and-collect grocery service, Duo Duo Grocery, in August 2020, as a response to the changing consumer needs for buying groceries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13][14] As traditional wholesale markets closed during the pandemic outbreak, Pinduoduo worked with rural communities to sell unsold produce directly to consumers.[15]

In September 2022, Pinduoduo's sister company Temu was launched in the U.S. by PDD Holdings.[16][17][18]

In 2018, Pinduoduo came under scrutiny following a spate of negative press calling the company out for inferior and imitation products.[19] The company responded with an open letter stating that it had in a single week in August shut down 1,128 stores, taken down more than 4 million listings and blocked 450,000 suspected counterfeit goods listings from being published.[20] The company also disclosed that it had removed 500,715 items and closed more than 40 stores as of February 4, 2020 to protect consumers from counterfeit and substandard masks being sold by merchants hoping to profit amid pandemic.[21]

On June 7, 2018, China Legal Evening News reported that Pinduoduo investigated and shut down stores and removed listings that violated its platform policy against pornography and violence, following an earlier report by the newspaper.[22]

On January 20, 2019, Pinduoduo reported the theft by hackers of tens of millions of Yuan in coupons to the police.[23] An online collective of users exploited a loophole in Pinduoduo's system and stole tens of millions of yuan worth of discount vouchers. The company notified the police about the incident.[24]

On July 5, 2022, a Shanghai court dismissed a local resident's lawsuit accusing Pinduoduo of cheating in a promotional event.[25]

In 2022, Pinduoduo was named on the Office of the United States Trade Representative's list of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy.[26][27]

In 2023, Google removed Pinduoduo's app from the Play Store due to security concerns after finding malware in the app.[28][29] Six cybersecurity teams interviewed by CNN – including Finnish, Russian, US, and Israeli firms – as well as Chinese cybersecurity firm DarkNavy, all labelled Pinduoduo as malware or potential malware.[30]

• Official website
• Business data for Pinduo Inc.:
  • Bloomberg
  • Google
  • Reuters
  • SEC filings
  • Yahoo!