Everyone with goods to ship or receive is feeling the pressure of more frequent and intense disruptions in their supply chains. Disruptions can be costly for the 7,500 retail customers we serve, who operate on thin margins in a competitive environment with omnichannel demand.

That’s why it didn’t surprise us in our 2025 customer research study when 23% of shippers said they plan to outsource more of their supply chain needs this year. Retailers that get third-party (3PL) and fourth-party (4PL) services from one logistics provider can achieve greater agility during times of disruption.

Say your supply chain relies on specific goods out of Canada, and a new tariff emerges. The first thing you need to assess is your exposure. If you’re using multiple logistics providers and your supply chain data lives in multiple transportation management systems with varying levels of sophistication, that’s nearly impossible to do quickly.

When you have 4PL services, you have true visibility across your supply chain. You can quickly understand which orders will be impacted by the Canadian tariff, your options for sourcing those items in other places like Puerto Rico or Europe, and the effects of switching suppliers. That means you can determine the total landed cost of your goods considering taxes, duties, warehousing and transportation for those new locations.

Should you pause with your Canadian supplier? For the three SKUs most affected by the new tariff, where else do you already have a supplier? Can you cost-effectively retain your diversification by keeping your Canadian supplier but sourcing just those three SKUs elsewhere?

When you have the data, you can make a data-driven decision. Then with 3PL services from the same logistics provider, you can quickly get the new freight transportation you need and execute a different shipping strategy tomorrow than you have today.