EXCLUDED EUROPE 1 - Nearly 7 out of 10 French people have changed their consumption of Made in France because of inflation

Margaux Fodéré 07:00, 07 November 2023

It returns on Thursday for its 11th edition. The Made in France show will be held in Paris until the end of the week and it will be an opportunity for exhibiting companies to attract customers who have become rarer in recent months. Because inflation is undermining Made in France. This is indeed what an OpinionWay study for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry reveals, which Europe 1 reveals to you exclusively. For nearly 7 out of 10 French people, the rise in prices, since the beginning of the inflationary crisis, has had an impact on their consumption of Made in France products.

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All Made in France goods penalized

In detail, 60% of them have even simply given up on these purchases, to consume less or to consume cheaper products, and therefore imported. Not surprisingly, this is especially true among young people aged 18 to 24 whose purchasing power is lower. If all Made in France goods have been penalized by the price increase, some have been more so others, says Eléonore Quarré, Consulting Director at the opinion division of OpinionWay.

"If we look concretely at the Made in France products that the French consume above all, we see that food comes in first place, far ahead of the other categories," she said. "In addition, food is the first category to have suffered from inflation. So, it is easy to guess that it is food, the first item of Made in France products that has suffered from inflation."

The majority of French people would like to consume more Made in France

However, the vast majority of French people, whether they are buyers of Made in France or not, would like to consume more, than tonight to support local producers, for more quality or for ecological awareness. Except that for 70% of them, there is a major obstacle: the price of these products. Even if this is not always justified, explains Olivier Paccalin, the founder of the search engine LeSiteduMadeinFrance.fr

"In textiles, if you compare Made in France to big brands made abroad, like Levis, it's the same price," he said. "Afterwards, if you compare to the entry-level, it's sure that Made in France is less competitive in terms of price. In fast fashion, you can easily find a t-shirt at 5 or 10 euros, a Made in France t-shirt is more like 45 euros."

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"The French today are forced to make trade-offs"

One thing is certain: under the pressure of inflation, consumers are taking a close look at their spending. "The French today are forced to make trade-offs because they know that their budget is limited. And so criteria such as country of origin, quality or taste, for food for example, really take a back seat," explains Eléonore Quarré.

This does not prevent them from being curious and wanting to learn more about Made in France products. According to the same OpinionWay study, 76% of French people would be interested in discovering more products of this type. Especially during events such as the Made in France Fair which starts this Thursday, November 9.