How To Manage Price Increases During The Tariff Crisis

Tariffs are creating havoc and panic for both customers and businesses. Depending on what you read, the cost-of-living increase for the average consumer can be thousands of dollars a year. And it’s the same for business, but often at a much higher cost. Anything a business purchases to run its day-to-day operations is potentially exposed to higher prices due to tariffs. Whatever businesses buy—supplies, inventory, equipment and more—when it costs them more, that cost is passed on to their customers.

This isn’t the first time there has been “tariff panic.” As recently as 2018, there were tariffs. I wrote a Forbes article about an e-bike company that was forced to raise its prices due to a 25% import tariff. The company was open about the reasons for the price increase and embraced the problem rather than becoming a victim of it. Here are some ways to manage the impact of tariffs:

• Be Transparent: Everyone may know about the tariffs, but explaining how they are impacting costs will help justify the price increase. In other words, don’t hide the fact that tariffs are impacting your costs.
• Partner with Vendors: Ask vendors to work with you on a solution to lower costs that won’t hit their bottom lines. If you buy from a vendor every month, maybe it’s less expensive to buy the same amount but ship quarterly instead of monthly. Work with them to find creative ways to reduce costs. This can benefit everyone.
• Improve Efficiency to Offset Costs: If you’ve thought about a way to improve a process or efficiency but haven’t acted on it, now may be the perfect time to do so. Sometimes being forced to do something can work in your favor. And be sure to share what you’re changing to help reduce costs. Customers may appreciate you even more.
• Add Value Instead of Just Raising Prices: When price increases are unavoidable, find a way to justify the higher cost. It could include anything—enhanced customer service, a loyalty rewards program, a special promotion and more. Customers may accept paying more if they feel they are getting more value in return.

What NOT to do:

• Don’t Take Advantage of Customer Panic: As I write this article, people are going to car dealerships to buy cars before the prices increase and finding that the dealers are selling above the retail sticker price because of the demand. Do you think a customer will forget they were “gouged” by a company taking advantage of them during tough times? (That’s a rhetorical question, but just in case you don’t know the answer … They won’t!)
• Don’t Say, “It’s Not my Fault”: Even when price increases are beyond your control, don’t be defensive. This can give the impression of a lack of confidence and lack of control that can erode the trust you have with your customers.
• Don’t Say, “It’s the Same Everywhere You Go”: If the customer understands tariffs, they already know this. Stating you have no choice isn’t going to make the customer feel good. Go back to the list of what you can do and find a way to avoid this and the “it’s not my fault” response.

Customers want to hear what you’re doing to help them. They also like to be educated. Knowledge can give the customer a sense of control. Demonstrating genuine concern for the situation and sharing what you’re doing to minimize the impact of tariff-related price increases builds trust that will pay dividends long after the current economic challenges have passed.