American consumers are rapidly adjusting their purchasing behavior due to tariff changes. Wunderkind's latest report "The Effect of U.S. Tariffs: Exclusive Marketer and Consumer Insights" shows that as the cost of many categories of goods rises, cost-effectiveness has become the primary consideration for consumers. 36% of respondents said they are "very likely" to change brands when they find that other brands offer better prices or value, and another 40% said they are "somewhat likely" to change their brand choices. Only 10% of consumers said they would not change brands because of price. Clothing and footwear are the first to be affected, with 43% of consumers choosing to wait for discounts or promotions before placing orders, especially millennials and baby boomers, who are particularly sensitive to price fluctuations.
This change is both a challenge and an opportunity for cross-border sellers. In the new market situation, how to reduce costs, stabilize logistics, improve turnover efficiency, and maintain brand influence has become the key to breaking through.
1. Compress supply chain costs and optimize procurement paths
Faced with the US tariffs, reducing product costs has become the survival rule for sellers. Many brands have begun to re-evaluate their supply chain structures. For example, Target has significantly reduced its reliance on Chinese goods to an estimated less than 25%, and has turned to Southeast Asia and other places to set up factories to avoid tariff pressure. For cross-border sellers, it is also necessary to layout a diversified supply chain, flexibly adjust the origin and supply method, and avoid the cost transmission caused by tariff shocks.
At the same time, the reasonable selection of the first-leg transportation method and logistics channel can also effectively reduce costs. For example, using a one-stop first-leg + overseas warehouse solution can avoid multiple transfers and improve overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
2. Stabilize fulfillment capabilities and improve logistics response speed
Under the current dual pressure of "price sensitivity + high logistics expectations", delivery speed has become an important indicator affecting repurchase rate. Relying on an efficient overseas warehouse system is the core way to solve this problem. U-Speed has two overseas warehouses in the East Coast (New Jersey) and the West Coast (Los Angeles) in the United States, with a storage area of 20,000 square meters, equipped with light and heavy shelves, forklifts, WMS systems and 24-hour monitoring, and a daily package processing capacity of up to 100,000 pieces, which can provide sellers with safe, efficient and cost-effective warehouse and distribution support.
More importantly, as a semi-managed official certified warehouse for Temu/SHEIN, U-Speed's US overseas warehouse has been fully connected to mainstream platforms such as TikTok, SHEIN, and AliExpress. Sellers can push orders on the platform and drop ship without developing additional systems. The local Chinese management team in the United States strictly implements the SOP process to ensure that the outbound rate reaches 100% within 24 hours, and supports additional services such as return, exchange, label change, and replenishment. It is especially suitable for categories such as clothing, shoes and bags, and 3C peripherals with frequent circulation, improving the fulfillment efficiency and user experience of the entire chain.
3. Reposition the price strategy to win "cost-effective users"
It is a fact that tariffs have led to price increases. How to find a balance between profits and sales? The answer is to optimize the price structure and impress users with value.
Many local retailers in the United States have begun to adopt a "price lock" strategy. Take Home Depot as an example. When faced with price increases in imported building materials, it did not pass on the costs, but maintained price stability through procurement optimization and operation compression to maintain market share. This strategy also applies to cross-border sellers. For brands that focus on mid- and high-frequency consumer goods, profits can be converted into coupons, discount coupons, regular promotions, etc., to pass on profits to users and maintain their willingness to buy.
According to the Wunderkind report, more than 46% of American consumers expressed their willingness to maintain brand loyalty due to "exclusive discounts", which means that price is not the only criterion, the key is to "make users feel it is worth it".
4. Flexibly respond to policy changes and reduce operating risks
In addition to rising operating costs, cross-border sellers must also be wary of the uncertainties brought about by policy changes. For example, the US tariff exemption policy (de minimis) for low-priced direct mail products has been reviewed. Once the relevant policies are adjusted, it will have a significant impact on Shein, Temu and other platforms.
Therefore, sellers should pay close attention to trade regulations and platform policies, and plan the return, replenishment and re-labeling system in advance to enhance the resilience of operations. U-Speed US warehouse supports efficient return management, and the re-labeling and data synchronization upload can be completed within 48 hours of the return, which greatly reduces the loss of goods value and after-sales pressure, allowing the goods to be quickly put on the shelves for sale again.
5. Brand long-termism cannot be lost
Although tariffs and cost pressures are at the forefront, brands are still the moat that crosses the cycle. In the report, a large number of consumers still expressed their willingness to pay for familiar and trustworthy brands, especially in the categories of clothing, beauty, and maternal and child products. This emotional dependence is particularly significant.
Cross-border sellers should use content marketing, social media word-of-mouth building, and localized customer service to create brand temperature. Whether it is the promotion of Xiaohongshu's grass-growing content or the improvement of user interaction experience through TikTok, brand influence will eventually feed back sales.
From raw material procurement to warehouse fulfillment, from price strategy to brand marketing, in today's rapidly changing American consumer behavior, cross-border sellers must cultivate "internal skills" to break through, rather than relying solely on traffic "rush". Professional overseas warehouse service providers like U-Speed can provide sellers with strong back-end support, from source to fulfillment to after-sales, and the entire chain is connected, so as to stabilize their position and win growth in this tariff storm.
