“Made in USA” (and Canada, Too)

Ellen C. Wells

Considering the increased cost of imported goods—especially those from China—there’s a surge in consumer interest in exactly where the products they buy are made. Modern Retail reports that the e-commerce analytics firm SmartScout found search terms such as “made in USA products only” have surged 220% year-over-year. Similar search terms are also seeing a jump.

Interestingly, these search terms have increased, but this hasn’t yet translated into purchases. Jason Boyce, who runs a consulting business for sellers on Amazon, said in the story, “There’s a lot of curiosity about ‘Made in the USA,’ but it’s not driving a lot of revenue growth. I don’t think that group of customers [who buy American-made goods] is getting any larger, at least not yet.”

Dive a bit deeper into this Modern Retail piece and you find three interesting things:

• Brands are updating product images in online stores to include “Made in USA” visuals and putting those visuals first in a gallery of product images.
• Some brands plan to include “Made in America” messaging in their SEO.
• One brand, Carrywell, which manufactures in Vietnam, is adding “Not Made in China” messaging to product listings. GP