How Boycotts May Impact Your Favorite Home Brands

All throughout 2025, consumers have been mobilizing in the form of boycotts to major brands, hoping to use their buying power to make a statement against the backtracking of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) action, as well as corporate greed in a broader sense. Retail giants like Amazon, Target, and Walmart, which are also popular homeware destinations, have been repeatedly singled out by these efforts, set to continue in October. The consensus among industry experts is that the number of people who adhere to these movements is never large enough to make a real dent on sales and revenue, but they have generated enough anxiety to lead brands to include consumer boycotts in risk disclosures to shareholders, which is, at the very least, atypical. 

The call to action (or inaction, in this case) has mostly come from People's Union USA, a nonpartisan movement founded in February 2025, but has also seen support from other grassroots efforts like Latino Freeze and Target Fast. While the former's goals are more loosely focused on championing the working class and demanding corporate accountability, the other two are markedly protesting against companies that have rolled back DEI initiatives in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's executive order to end affirmative action nationwide. But boycotts have come from all ends of the political spectrum, with conservatives also choosing to withhold their dollars in response to LGBTQ product lines or endorsements in the past.

Boycotts can be effective needle-movers. After conservatives boycotted Target for its Pride Month line in 2023, the brand scaled down its LGBTQ-themed products the following year. In July 2025, in an op-ed for Essence, Target CEO Brian Cornell reiterated his commitment to diversity and "opportunity for all," no doubt reacting to the pressure from disappointed pro-DEI consumers. Then, in August, Cornell announced his retirement from the role, with many speculating that the boycotts could have contributed to the decision.

In fact, Target was the company that most suffered with these movements. While Amazon and Walmart's sales remained stable or even increased slightly during February and March boycotts, Target saw foot traffic during those months decrease 9% and 6.5%, respectively, compared to the same period in the year prior. A May earnings call revealed that the retailer's sales had taken a hit during the first quarter, with Cornell also confessing that boycotts had affected the company's reputation in the 2024 annual report. Profits continued to drop in the second, third, and fourth quarters.

While Target has been a main, well, target of the boycotts, the lack of impact on other brands suggests that the company's underperformance is a result of a larger picture. It's been struggling since 2022, with stocks plunging amid cost of living crisis across the country. Costumer mobilization is a great conversation starter and does apply pressure on corporations, but, historically, it almost never results in deep change. Some even argue that, paradoxically, if boycotts were successful, they would also be hurting POC-owned home decor brands you can find at Target. In short, they will not be majorly affecting your favorite home brands, unless, of course, you choose to join in.