Amazon boycott could spread to the UK, costing up to £47m in lost sales, says Parcelhero
Amazon is one of a number of retailers being shunned by consumers over its association with the Trump administration. Last week, 9% of US Amazon users planned to boycott it. A similar move by UK consumers could cost Amazon up to £47m in lost sales, says the international delivery expert Parcelhero.
American shoppers are increasingly using their wallets to protest against political developments. A quarter of US shoppers have abandoned their favourite stores due to their political stances, according to a recent Guardian-Harris poll, while four in ten Americans have reportedly shifted their recent spending to reflect their social views.
One of the retailers now in the crosshairs of some US consumers is the online giant Amazon. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, gave President Trump’s inaugural committee $1m, securing a prominent seat at his inauguration. Additionally, in the countdown to Trump’s Presidency last December, Amazon told staff it was ‘winding down outdated programs and materials’ related to representation and inclusion. It became one of a number of US retailers to ditch their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies – a move that has angered some US consumers.
Now the UK home delivery expert Parcelhero says there’s growing awareness of the political implications of using certain retailers on this side of the Pond as well. A recent More in Common poll found that 59% of Brits have a negative view of Trump and 24% have a positive one, while a growing number are joining campaigns such as the UK’s Stop Trump Coalition to protest against his policies. UK consumers may follow US shoppers’ example and shun retailers who are perceived to be too closely aligned with President Trump’s policies.
Parcelhero’s head of consumer research, David Jinks says: ‘There’s no doubt that some US consumers have stopped ordering from Amazon, as well as a number of other retailers, such as Walmart and Target. Last week saw an “economic blackout” of Amazon, according to a newly formed activist group called The Peoples Union USA. Its founder, John Schwarz, claimed people from across the world contacted him in support, asking how they could show solidarity.
‘A survey by Numerator found that 9% of US Amazon shoppers intended to participate in the week-long action. If 9% of British shoppers were to follow that example, that would mean the online giant losing up to £47m, given that its most recently declared annual turnover (2023) was around £27bn or £519m a week. That’s assuming 9% of UK shoppers spend enough to represent 9% of Amazon’s UK turnover. That may sound a lot, but it’s small change in the context of Amazon’s worldwide revenue of $637.959bn (£490bn) last year.
‘So, just how likely are UK and European shoppers to follow American consumers’ example? Across Europe, boycotts of perceived Trump-supporting retailers and manufacturers are certainly taking place. Tesla sales fell 76% in Germany alone last month. That’s likely to be because its controversial boss, Elon Musk, has taken a prominent role in President Trump’s administration, including spearheading the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
‘However, while UK Tesla sales slumped 12.7% in January, they actually rose by 20.7% YOY in February – though largely because there’s a planned car tax rise in April. Other luxury marques gained significantly higher increases as motorists rushed to purchase cars before the new tax takes effect.
‘While Tesla might be escaping the worst here, UK anti-Trump sentiment does seem to be gathering pace. For example, UK Reddit users are increasingly vocal about cancelling their Amazon and X (formerly Twitter) accounts.
‘That being said, even the boycott by US users has so far failed to make a notable dent in Amazon’s figures. In fact, Amazon was quick to announce that its sales last week were actually up 5.6% despite the planned “blackout.” However, there is another reason brewing why UK shoppers could ditch Amazon and other US brands.
‘Last week, the London Economic listed 50 US brands likely to be targeted by UK shoppers looking to take the “Canadian approach”. That refers to the many Canadian consumers and retailers who are now boycotting US products such as whiskey following Trump’s introduction of new tariffs on Canadian goods.
‘The recent visit to the White House by UK PM Kier Starmer resulted in Trump declaring: “I think we could end up with a real trade deal… where the tariffs wouldn’t be necessary.” However, a US-UK trade deal is still far from certain. Trump could still impose new tariffs on British goods being exported to the US. Such a move would potentially encourage UK consumers to turn away from US retailers and products, following Canada’s example.
‘Of course, all this will have an impact on UK-US e-commerce and parcel deliveries. Whatever the outcome, we can expect some export and courier market volatility.