Resiliency during tariff turbulence
Global trade is more unpredictable than ever before. Focus finds out how some organisations are minimising exposure to tariff fluctuations while maximising margin.
With tariffs shifting overnight and geopolitical uncertainty becoming the norm, international business has become a landscape of turbulence and turmoil. Our latest research reveals that more than three-quarters of UK businesses have already lost profit due to tariffs - with financial impact so severe that 44% of businesses are now considering scaling back or withdrawing from high-tariff markets entirely[1] as a short-term fix.
Abandoning markets is not a sustainable long-term strategy. Instead, businesses should focus on regaining control through more strategic supply chain and pricing decisions.
Moving on from the limits of traditional pricing
The sweeping tariff measures introduced by the US and other major economies are more than just policy changes. Once combined with product-specific duties, retaliation from trading partners, and complex origin rules, the financial impact multiplies quickly.
For global businesses, this creates a constantly shifting cost environment. Managing margins, sustaining customer relationships, and staying competitive in real time requires more than just operational flexibility. It demands a smarter, faster approach to pricing.
This is a challenge for the supply chain and distribution sector in particular, as many organisations are still reliant on pricing systems within their ERPs that simply can’t keep up with today’s demands. Our research reveals that“systems limitations” are the second biggest barrier to pricing agility after customer pushback, so it’s perhaps not a surprise that 82% of businesses are planning to invest in new pricing tools in the year ahead.
Turning pricing from a bottleneck to an advantage
Becoming more strategic with pricing involves rethinking how products are priced, sourced, and delivered to minimise exposure to tariff fluctuations while maximising margin. However, speed alone isn’t enough. What sets businesses apart is the ability to act with clarity and confidence. When decisions are based on accurate cost data and robust modelling, companies can move decisively while others remain stuck in analysis paralysis or might make hasty decisions. For instance, a business that thoroughly assesses tariff impacts might choose to hold customer prices steady, even as competitors raise theirs.
With the right technology in place, pricing teams can simulate how new tariffs will affect profitability across their product range and determine the best course of action - whether that’s passing on costs to customers, absorbing them selectively, or applying blended strategies.
At Enable we’ve launched a dedicated Tariff Price Planner, integrating HTS cost analysis with dynamic pricing scenario modelling. This integration allows businesses to simulate tariff impacts in real-time and execute pricing changes across thousands of products instantly.
It’s clear that tariffs are not a temporary disruption, but a permanent fixture in the global economy, and it is critical that organisations embrace a pricing mindset that is as agile as the trade policies it responds to. Improving pricing agility isn’t just a defensive play, it’s the key to thriving.
Andrew Butt
CEO and Founder,
Enable