BOSTON, April 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Netstock, a leader in supply chain planning solutions for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), today released its 2026 Tariff Impact Report. The report draws on new survey data from Netstock’s U.S. customer base and captures how SMBs have adapted operations through a sustained period of tariff turbulence, geopolitical tension, and increasing margin pressure. Netstock's first Tariff Impact Report, published last May, found most SMBs bracing for impact, with nearly half having never implemented a tariff strategy, and a majority adopting a wait-and-see posture. This follow-up report captures what has changed: a sector that moved from caution to action, reshaping how SMBs approach long-term planning, supply chain diversification, and the use of technology to protect margins.
“This time last year, nearly half of SMBs had never implemented a tariff strategy. Today, the vast majority not only have one in place, but are layering multiple approaches at once. The agility these businesses have shown is remarkable," said Ara Ohanian, CEO of Netstock. "In the past year, SMBs have doubled down on the use of data and analytics, enabling them to shift from evaluating to executing strategies that boost supply chain resilience. Even with lean teams and limited resources, SMBs are heading into the rest of 2026 with a stronger tariff toolkit than they had a year ago.”
The findings reveal how deeply tariffs have reshaped SMB operations over the past year:
- Tariffs are driving sustained cost pressure and forcing operational change: More than half of SMBs report greater tariff impact than 12 months ago, with the effects now showing up across multiple areas of the business: 82% are passing costs along to customers, one in three have changed suppliers, and cost-related challenges remain the top concern at 72%.
- Cost absorption no longer seems attainable: Netstock's 2025 Benchmark Report found 44% of SMBs were absorbing tariff costs internally to avoid stock-outs and retain customers. That approach has largely run its course. Among those now passing costs through, 92% are doing so via direct price increases.
- SMBs are building tariff toolkits that put them back in control: Nearly 60% of SMBs now deploy two or more mitigation strategies simultaneously, blending safety stock adjustments, scenario planning, supplier diversification, and pricing levers into coordinated approaches rather than relying on any single response.
- Supplier networks are shifting under multi-region pressure: Nearly half of SMBs face tariff impacts from two or more sourcing regions at once, and one in three cite tariffs as a direct reason for changing suppliers in the past year. China remains the top-impacted region at 74%, with country-of-origin risk driving more than a quarter of supplier switches.
- Planning horizons are expanding significantly: 73% of SMBs have extended their inventory planning time horizons, a meaningful departure from the reactive, short-cycle planning that characterized earlier tariff responses. However, prior Netstock data showed 62% were still under-planning based on actual inventory outcomes. That gap suggests longer planning horizons alone aren't enough without better data and demand-sensing tools to support them.
The largest year-over-year shift is in the use of data and analytics, with heavy analytics users more than doubling and the moderate middle growing by 21 percentage points. That shift is translating to outlook, as more than 80% of SMBs say they're better prepared to handle tariff disruption than they were a year ago. The financial burden, however, hasn't gone away. For more than half, tariff refunds would meaningfully impact their operations, a reminder that confidence in the tariff playbook doesn't eliminate the cost of running it.
The Netstocks 2026 Tariff Impact Report is now available.
About Netstock
Netstock is a global leader in inventory optimization and supply chain planning software for SMBs. With over 2,500 customers in 67 countries, Netstock’s AI-powered solutions help businesses streamline operations, improve forecasting, and optimize inventory to meet market demands. From automated recommendations to actionable insights, Netstock enables companies to enhance decision-making, reduce costs, and improve overall supply chain efficiency. Visit www.netstock.com to learn more.
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