Price remains the determining factor for most customers when considering products.
For retailers trying to win the hearts, minds, and wallets of consumers, the struggle to line the aisles with the most attractive products is a difficult one. Finding the balance between quality and price point requires acumen and hard work. Now, a new study has found that when shopping for products, American prefer low prices to items “Made in the USA.” In fact, the vast majority (71 percent) said that while they’d like to buy American-made products, they are either too costly or too hard to find. And just 9 percent asserted that they only buy American-made products, whatever the cost.
The AP-GfK Poll, conducted in March of 2016, surveyed approximately 1,000 adults, found that when faced with a scenario of purchasing $50 pants made abroad or $85 pants made in the U.S., 67 percent said that they would buy the cheaper pair. Just 30 percent said that they would “buy American” despite the more expensive price tag. And, the survey found, household income really had no impact on the respondents’ answers.
Interestingly, the results of the AP/GfK poll contradict findings from Consumer Reports last year, which found that 78 percent of Americans would prefer to buy American-made products over imported ones. Last year’s poll also found that 60 percent of respondents were willing to pay up to 10 percent more to purchase a domestic product.
“Low prices are a positive for US consumers – it stretches budgets and allows people to save for their retirements, if they’re wise, with dollars that would otherwise be spent on day-to-day living,” explained Sonya Grob, a 57-year-old middle school secretary who responded to the survey.
The fight to preserve the American manufacturing landscape is difficult, and companies like American Apparel are finding it hard to win. CEO Paula Schneider recently announced the layoff of hundreds of workers in order to cut costs at the retailer.
