Desire to buy American-made gifts is strong, but so is the allure of cheap stuff from China

Seventy-seven percent of Americans prefer to buy holiday gifts that are made in America, according to new survey data by Alliance for American Manufacturing and Morning Consult. Even so, not just Chinese manufacturers but popular Chinese brands like SHEIN and Temu are expected to play a major role in holiday shopping this year. So will American consumers put their money where their mouth is this holiday season?

Buying American is something most shoppers care about and try to do, said Scott Paul, with the Alliance for American Manufacturing. But it’s not always easy. 

“You can find all sorts of information about products online. It’s sometimes really hard to figure out where that product is made,” Paul said.

While shoppers say they do care about where products are made, they also care about getting a deal. Especially as they continue to adjust to elevated prices after a period of high inflation. Morning Consult’s Claire Tassin said consumers are weighing their values and their budget. 

“Ideally, right, I would shop Made in America products,” she said. “But I do think that there’s a lot of people who are willing to put that aside and let their wallets have more of a say in their shopping decisions.” 

But some of the habits that big retailers — especially those online — promote are part of the problem, said Somya Gupta. She runs Mala market, a nonprofit shop for local vendors in Houston, Texas. 

“All of those clicks add up, and when you’re just clicking aimlessly and spending aimlessly, because it’s so convenient to be able to do so,” said Gupta. “You tend to just really forget that money is like a thing.” 

She says locally-made products may cost more, but they add more value for the gift buyer and the receiver.