Supply chain disruption is intensifying in 2026, and new data confirms most companies are already feeling the impact.
A RELEX State of the Supply Chain 2026 report preview reveals that 86% of supply chain leaders say trade policy changes and tariffs have altered their operations.
Drawing from a January 2026 survey of 514 retail, manufacturing, wholesale, and supply chain executives, the findings paint a sector under mounting pressure, and split on how to fight back.
The Cost of Disruption: Prices Climb Across the Board
The most immediate response companies are taking is passing costs to consumers. More than half (51%) have raised prices to offset higher expenses, a dramatic jump from 31% in 2025. Additionally, 24% have shifted sourcing away from countries affected by trade policy changes. The other 18% have restructured their supply chains or delayed investments.
Inflation compounds the disruption further. Thirty-four percent of leaders identify rising input costs as their single greatest operational challenge, outpacing tariff and geopolitical pressures at 17% and labor shortages at 15%.
Cost volatility, the data suggests, has permanently embedded itself into long-term planning.
Retailers and Manufacturers Split on Inventory Approach
The report also uncovers a sharp divide in how companies manage risk. Twenty-eight percent are building strategic stockpiles to protect product availability. Twenty-seven percent are returning to leaner inventory models to cut costs and reduce markdown exposure. Each group is essentially bracing for a different kind of failure.
Retailers feel the squeeze most directly. Nearly half (49%) cite margin pressure as their biggest challenge, and 47% are increasing promotions to reach price-sensitive shoppers. Over a quarter rely on promotions as their primary performance lever. Meanwhile, 25% are expanding private labels and value-focused product lines to meet shifting demand.
Manufacturers, by contrast, are making structural moves. Nearly 45% are passing input cost increases directly to customers, 43% are adjusting pack sizes or SKUs to address price sensitivity. Twenty-six percent are broadening their supplier base to reduce geopolitical and cost exposure.
Related Article: Global Trade Tariffs Reshape Economic Order After 2025
Resilience Replaces the Hope for Stability
Rather than waiting for conditions to improve, companies are actively building resilience into their operations. Nearly six in 10 (59%) are strengthening logistics partnerships, 37% are expanding their supplier networks, and 28% are increasing safety stock. Half of all respondents expect global disruptions to remain their biggest operational threat over the next three years.
Confidence, however, survives the turbulence, barely. Seventy-seven percent describe themselves as optimistic or cautiously optimistic about the next 12 to 18 months. Only 20% express outright confidence. That gap reflects a sector that believes in its ability to adapt, even as it acknowledges the road ahead remains volatile.
Three Takeaways for Supply Chain Leaders in 2026
The report identifies three clear priorities for organizations managing ongoing supply chain disruption. Margin pressure, longer lead times, and heavy promotional activity will likely persist through year-end.
Strategic responses will continue to diverge. Some firms stockpile and raise prices, while others pursue leaner models and promotion-driven volume. Finally, capabilities like AI-led scenario planning, dynamic allocation, and supplier optionality will increasingly determine which companies adapt successfully.
“Whether tariffs are imposed, revised, or struck down, the reality for supply chain leaders is the same,” said Laurence Brenig-Jones, VP of Product Strategy at RELEX Solutions. “Trade policy shifts are happening quickly and often with limited lead time.”
The full 2026 State of the Supply Chain report will be published in late March, with deeper analysis on technology investment and long-term strategic priorities.