Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story misstated how much lower Amazon’s prices are on average according to an independent study. The figure is 14%.

Consumers shopping on Amazon and low-cost retailer Temu are often comparing goods between the two online sellers, but price seems to win out, a new study and survey has found.
While only 5% of survey respondents said they trusted Temu, 53% of the consumers still said they shopped at the China-based retailer in the last year, the survey and study by Omnisend, an e-commerce marketing platform company, said. USA TODAY was given an exclusive first look at the research.

By comparison, 87% of respondents said they trusted Amazon, with 75% saying they shopped on the platform in the last year and 18% saying they shopped there more than once a week.

The study found that consumers could save 40% more (or $13.37 per product) by shopping at Temu rather than Amazon, but that new U.S. tariffs and potential price increases will affect consumers’ behavior.
Consumers worried about tariff pricing increases

While consumers said they were expecting prices to go up based on tariffs imposed on foreign goods by the U.S., a surprising number, or 20% of survey respondents said they would continue shopping at Chinese marketplaces like Temu if prices increased, said Greg Zakowicz Sr., e-commerce expert at Omnisend. Twenty-nine percent said they’d immediately stop buying or buy less, and 20% said they’d stop if the increase is noticeable.
About 40% of survey respondents also said they’d be willing to pay more for U.S.-made goods. That surprised Zakowicz.

Zakowicz said his company has been following consumer behavior “and consumers are very much value-minded,” he said, adding it’s hard to believe that consumers would suddenly be willing to pay more.

He believes there’s a dichotomy between what consumers say they’re going to do and ultimately how they actually react.