Survey: Most retailers raise prices, rebuild supply chain in response to tariffs
Most retailers are raising prices, moving production and product sourcing, and taking other actions in response to the Trump Administration’s fluctuating tariffs.
More than three-quarters (76%) of respondents said their businesses had increased the price of goods they sell to mitigate the cost of the new and expected tariffs, according to a survey of U.S. e-commerce professionals by commerce protection provider Signifyd.
The survey, conducted by Talker Research, shows that on average, retailers are passing along 51% of the cost of Trump’s import taxes. Overall, the surveyed merchants, in big numbers, have made big moves in the face of tariffs — including layoffs, store closings, moving production and product sources and rebalancing their inventory.
The survey also indicates that retailers with online businesses have been scrambling since before the 2024 election to brace for higher import taxes.
Below are the percentages of U.S. e-commerce professionals who said that in the face of current or pending Trump Administration tariffs their brands took the designated action.
- Raised the retail price of goods they sell (76%)
- Increased the estimated delivery time to customers (76%)
- Reduced the number or size of discounts and promotions to lower costs (75%)
- Substituted U.S.-sourced inventory for inventory subject to tariffs (72%)
- Switched suppliers from higher tariff to lower tariff countries. (71%)
- Accelerated imports from countries subject to tariffs (71%)
- Limited inventory/number of SKUs they sell that are subject to tariffs (71%)
“It isn’t surprising that retailers are taking dramatic action in the face of some pretty dramatic tariffs that have been implemented and proposed,” said Signifyd head of storytelling Mike Cassidy, who is overseeing the poll for Signifyd. “What surprised me was the big number of retailers — often in the 70-plus-percent range — that are significantly adjusting critical operations and strategies this early in the game.”
The Signifyd Merchant Tariff Survey polled 500 U.S. retail professionals representing merchants with online operations. The survey was conducted between May 27 and June 2, 2025.
