Close-up of sign with logo on facade of the regional headquarters of ecommerce company Amazon in the ... More
Amazon sales rose nearly 6% during an eight-day boycott organized by an activist group, challenging the effectiveness of consumer activism against the retail giant.
While The People’s Union USA launched a targeted boycott of Amazon from March 7-14, data from e-commerce analytics firm Momentum Commerce shows that Amazon’s U.S. sales increased 5.9% compared to the eight-week average during the boycott period.
"We just didn’t observe any meaningful downward impact to Amazon U.S. sales during the eight-day boycott action," explains John T. Shea, CEO of Momentum Commerce. "If anything, while increases were fairly muted last Friday and Saturday, there was a slight degree of acceleration later this week."
Over the full eight days, Amazon US sales were up 5.9% vs. the eight-week average, according to data ... More
The data reflects a continuation of a pattern I reported in late February when an earlier "economic blackout" targeting major retailers failed to dent Amazon’s sales. During that single-day event on Feb. 28, Amazon transactions rose 1% compared to typical Friday patterns.
Strong Data Set Reveals Consumer Behavior
Momentum Commerce’s data provides valuable insight into consumer behavior rather than merely stated intentions. The company works directly with brands selling on Amazon and tracks approximately $6 billion in annual sales, using this substantial data set to extrapolate broader marketplace trends.
This real-world purchasing data stands in contrast to survey results published by Numerator prior to the boycott, which found that 9% of Amazon shoppers intended to participate in the weeklong action. Crossover between boycotts is high—72% of those who plan to participate in the Amazon boycott also participated in the Feb. 28 Economic Blackout, Numerator said of its 3,000-person survey of Amazon shoppers.
However, the sales data suggests that even if some consumers did participate, their impact was more than offset by other purchasing activity.
Why This Boycott Failed
Momentum Commerce’s Shea suggests one possible explanation for the boycott's ineffectiveness: "With tariffs being top of mind for a lot of consumers and their likely impact on prices, it's very possible that any impact from boycott activity was outpaced by consumers looking to buy goods before those price increases happen."
This highlights a fundamental challenge with consumer boycotts – economic self-interest often overrides political or social concerns when it comes to purchasing decisions.
The Disconnect Between Intent and Action
The disparity between stated boycott intentions and sales impact underscores a well-documented gap between what consumers say they’ll do and what they actually do. While 43% of Amazon shoppers were aware of planned boycott activity, according to Numerator's survey, awareness didn't translate into meaningful sales impact.
Even among those planning to participate, 22% told Numerator they would simply shift their Amazon purchases to before or after the boycott period rather than take their business elsewhere.
Looking Ahead
The People’s Union USA has indicated plans for additional targeted actions against other major retailers and brands, including McDonald's and General Mills.
For Amazon, the data suggests strong resilience to consumer activism, at least in its current form. Whether future efforts will evolve more effective strategies or whether the fundamental challenges of organizing consumer boycotts will continue their impact remains to be seen.