Ramon van Meer, founder of Afina, tested consumer demand for a Made-in-USA shower head after tariff increases on Chinese imports. He found U.S. production would triple costs and significantly raise prices. Testing on his website revealed that, despite claims of support for American manufacturing, no customers purchased the more expensive USA model, while hundreds opted for the cheaper Chinese equivalent. The test highlighted a gap between consumer sentiment and actual buying behavior, prompting van Meer to reflect on real market dynamics based on authentic purchasing data.
As a small business owner, Ramon van Meer said he's used to hearing people say they'd be willing to pay more for products made in America. When President Donald Trump ratcheted up tariffs on Chinese imports by an additional 145%, van Meer decided to see if shoppers would put their money where their mouth is.
Armed with real numbers, he set out to do a test with two identical products, with the only difference being their origin and, critically, their price: visitors to Afina's website were presented with the option of a Chinese-made item for $129 or a US-made version for $239.
'I'm big on just testing it out with real data and real purchases,' van Meer said. 'Not asking customers, not a survey, not even add-to-carts. When somebody has to pay for it, that's the actual real data,' he added.
After several days and more than 25,000 visitors, he said he sold 584 of the lower-priced shower heads and not one single purchase of a US-made version.
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