USA: 86% of supply chain leaders say tariffs & economic pressures have impacted operations, as strategies vary to offset impact
"RELEX Report: 86% of Supply Chain Leaders Impacted by Tariffs and Economic Pressures as Companies Split on Pricing and Inventory Strategy", 5 March 2026
The majority of supply chain leaders (86%) say trade policy changes or tariffs have already impacted their operations, forcing companies into difficult trade-offs across pricing, sourcing, and inventory management as inflation and geopolitical disruption persist into 2026.
...organizations are responding in markedly different ways.
More than half (51%) have raised consumer prices to offset higher costs, while 18% report restructuring supply chains or delaying investments. Pricing adjustments appear to be accelerating: in 2025, 31% of retailers reported increasing product pricing in response to macroeconomic pressures, compared with just over half of supply chain leaders in 2026. Nearly a quarter (24%) have shifted sourcing away from countries directly affected by trade policy changes...
Thirty-four percent of leaders cite inflation and rising input costs as the single greatest pressure on their supply chain, ahead of tariff and geopolitical pressures (17%) and labor shortages (15%). The data suggests cost volatility is now embedded in long-term planning. ..
Twenty-eight percent [of companies] are increasing inventory or building strategic stockpiles to protect availability, while 27% are returning to leaner models to control costs. The divide suggests firms are optimizing for different failure modes: out-of-stocks on one side and cash flow and markdown risk on the other...
Among retailers, 49% cite margin pressure as their biggest operational challenge and 47% are increasing promotions to address price-sensitive consumers...
Meanwhile, manufacturers are balancing pricing power with structural change. Nearly half (45%) report passing rising input costs to customers, 43% are adjusting pack sizes or SKUs in response to price sensitivity, and 26% are diversifying suppliers to manage geopolitical and cost volatility...
The RELEX State of Supply Chain 2026: Volatility, Trade-Offs & the Rise of AI report is based on a January 2026 survey of 514 retail, manufacturing, wholesale and supply chain leaders conducted by Researchscape. Results were weighted proportionally to countries’ nominal gross domestic product, ensuring views are broadly representative.