By Spencer Soper and Lily Meier
Companies are slapping “Trump tariff” surcharges on customers’ bills in a bid to signal where price hikes are coming from, a marketing gimmick that could help some niche brands cash in on the politically charged moment.
Such finger-pointing fees would inevitably alienate some customers, which is why the surcharges aren’t expected to be prominent features of post-tariff shopping. Still, some business owners say it’s better to tell shoppers directly why the cost of their goods are rising.
“We think transparency is the way to go here and I am giving Trump full credit for his decision to add this Tariff to all US consumers,” Ryan Babenzien said when he announced his plan for Jolie Skin Co., which makes filtered-water showerheads.
Jolie will impose a “Trump Liberation Tariff” surcharge starting next week, Babenzien said. His company is still calculating what the fee will be on top of the cost of a $150 showerhead. His team is building software in-house to add the fee to products purchased on its website, which runs on Shopify Inc.’s platform.
Online forums are already teeming with advice on how business owners logistically can add tariff fees to their websites, and even suggesting that Shopify, a platform that hosts more than 5 million online storefronts, should include such a tool in its basic package. Shopify doesn’t currently offer such a line-item tool, but its clients can still customize their websites by hiring programmers or purchasing separate applications.
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