A growing number of European consumers are turning away from products sold by US-owned companies and seeking alternatives made closer to home.
This is according to a recent piece of research published under the umbrella of the European Central Bank (ECB).
They are motivated as much by anger at the Trump administration as the impact the US president’s freewheeling approach to global trade might have on their pockets.
The ECB’s Consumer Expectations Survey, conducted among 19,000 people in March before Donald Trump announced and then rowed back on the tariff proposals, highlights how many EU consumers are changing the way they shop.
“The newly imposed US trade tariffs on European products are causing European consumers to think twice about what’s in their shopping cart,” noted the ECB.
“Consumers are very willing to actively move away from US products and services.”
When asked why they would consider switching, 44 per cent pointed to a simple change of preference compared to 38 per cent who highlighted price as the motivating factor.
“Our findings indicate that, in the current context, consumers’ reactions could therefore considerably deviate from standard textbook consumption patterns in response to higher tariffs,” the ECB said.
[ Trade war threat spooks shoppersOpens in new window ]
“This suggests that consumers’ reactions may not just be a temporary response to tariff increases, but instead signal a possible long-term structural shift in consumer preferences away from US products and brands.”
Damian O‘Reilly, a lecturer in retail management at TU Dublin, who has been hearing stories from retailers of people looking to make their shopping decisions based on more ethical concerns, questions how much more shoppers would be willing to pay for those concerns. Experience has taught him that people are reluctant to spend more even when they know it is the right thing to do.
“If you have a bunch of carrots selling for €1 and an organic bunch selling for €2, most people will always buy the cheaper ones,” he says.
O‘Reilly says one obstacle in the way of people choosing products from Europe at the expense of ones that come from US companies is labelling confusion.
“The packaging doesn’t make it easy,” he says. “A product could come from elsewhere but be packaged here.”
In a far less scientific snapshot than the one conducted by the ECB, The Irish Times asked users of the social media platform X this week if they would consider buying fewer US products due to Trump’s tariff moves.
More than 400 people took part, with 33 per cent saying any such moves would be driven by price, while 58 per cent said they would consider not buying products from the US as a protest move.
[ ‘Tariffs’ is about to become the excuse for absolutely everything we don’t likeOpens in new window ]
Some 10 cent said they would continue to shop as they have always done.
Making the switch might be easier than you think. Less than 10 per cent of those who took part in the ECB research said they would be unable to find alternatives to products sold by US companies.
And for those who fear they might struggle to find alternatives, there are dedicated Facebook groups to point people in the right direction, with groups in France, Denmark and Germany attracting tens of thousands of members in recent weeks.
For others, there is an app for that.
The Brandsnap app allows people to photograph products they own or are considering buying; it will alert them if they’re from a US company and highlight alternatives from closer to home.
The Irish Times trialled the app on random products found in the home this week.
Philadelphia cream cheese was met with a frowny face.
“This product is not European,” we were told, with Boursin from France the only readily accessible alternative suggested.
A Robinson’s Fruit Shoot was given a cheery “GO EUROPE”, with the app explaining that the product was made in the UK. It was good news for French Actimel and Bonne Maman jam too.
Pringles crisps got the frowny face, with our home-grown Tayto among the suggested alternatives. Fairy washing up liquid was, we were told, American but we were assured we could swap it out for Ecover.
Ireland’s own Chef brown sauce got a big thumbs up, while Heinz ketchup got a big thumbs down. The app advised to consider Hellman’s as an alternative.
Nespresso coffee got the green light but Cadbury – despite deep roots in England – is now American-owned; the option of Milka or Nestle was offered instead. Tony’s Chocolonely, from the Netherlands, is good to go but Old El Paso salsa, a US brand, was not deemed okay.
A lot of oranges, avocados and nuts do come from the US, and that is where we will see price increases. But other products from US companies such as Pepsi and Coke are made locally
— Damian O‘Reilly
Charlotte Tilbury make-up is a UK brand while Sephora was given a pass for being French. Listerine mouthwash, by contrast, is American while alternatives suggested by the app include Sensodyne and Oral B.
Similarly, Colgate is an American brand; brands including Sensodyne and Oral B were suggested as alternative European options.
A Kitchen Aid mixer is American; the alternatives put forward included Magimix, Kenwood, Tefal and Bosch. The Ninja Air Fryer was also too American for the app, which suggested options including Tefal, Bosch and a handful of other European brands not commonly found in Ireland.
Nike and Converse runners were rejected by the app, but there was room for Adidas, New Balance, Puma and Veja.
The alternative products list is even more pertinent following the European Union’s proposal this week to apply tariffs to more items from the United States, such as bourbon whiskey, wine, cider, bicycles, smartphones and olives in another wave of retaliatory action – worth €95 billion – against Washington in the EU-US trade war.
Consumers may question whether the Brand Snap app suggestions are like for like but it does make it easier to make swaps and find out where products come from.
More broadly, when it comes to the Trump tariffs, O‘Reilly suggests that Irish consumers will be protected – at least when it comes to food.
“A lot of oranges, avocados and nuts do come from the US, and that is where we will see price increases. But other products from US companies such as Pepsi and Coke are made locally,” he said.
His view is echoed by Arnold Dillon, director of Retail Ireland, the Ibec industry group that represents retailers.
“A relatively small number of products sold by Irish retailers are sourced in the US, so any new tariffs are unlikely to have a significant impact on consumer prices,” he said
“Grocery products, for example, are largely sourced domestically or in Europe. Any prolonged trade dispute will, however, heighten economic uncertainty and raise employment concerns, which in turn feeds into sentiment and consumer behaviour.”
