As the holiday shopping season approaches, corporate America is turning on the Left’s radical woke agenda. Retailers who once went all-in on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are now finding themselves in a tight spot. With the political climate at peak heat, brands are tiptoeing around “woke” policies, worried about alienating customers who are fed up with the relentless virtue signaling that has turned shopping into a lecture on social values.
For retailers like Bud Light and Target, the pitfalls of pandering to niche activist groups are all too fresh. Bud Light saw a staggering drop in sales following its disastrous marketing partnership with a controversial transgender influencer. Target’s Pride Month display fiasco also cost them millions as customers decided they’d had enough of retailers pushing agendas over products. After witnessing the backlash, companies like Lowe’s, Tractor Supply, and Ford have scaled back their DEI efforts. This includes pulling back on partnerships with LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and quietly retiring Pride festivals that don’t exactly contribute to selling, say, a reliable drill or family-friendly SUV.
One retail insider told CNBC, “Retailers left to their own devices would like to be very proactive on DEI. But now they don’t want any of their views to be public because they want to be able to sell stuff to everybody, and it’s become such a stupid political issue.” Well, that’s what happens when marketing teams swap common sense for woke consultants.
In a recent AlixPartners survey, the myth of the social-justice-loving customer took a hit. It turns out Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen X aren’t as loyal to companies pushing a social agenda as corporate America likes to think. Less than half of Millennials care about a brand’s values, and that number only shrinks for Gen Z and Gen X. Boomers, at a mere 16%, seem the most immune to corporate activism, proving they just want decent products without a side of ideology.
Consultants like Sonia Lapinsky claim DEI is still valuable for tailoring products to diverse audiences, even if it means doing so under the radar. But retailers are scrambling to find a way through this “no-win situation” as the holiday season kicks off, seeking ways to keep everyone happy without flying a political flag. Retailers could save a lot of time (and money) by focusing on what they’re supposed to do: sell quality products without a lecture.
Ultimately, companies are learning the hard way that mainstream America isn’t interested in divisive “initiatives” that have little to do with shopping. People want stores to sell products, not politics. As corporations backtrack on DEI overreach, it’s a refreshing reminder that consumer power is real, and the message is clear: keep the politics out of the shopping cart.
