As you prepare your 2026 supply chain strategy, staying ahead of market trends and operational disruptions is more critical than ever. C.H. Robinson recently released our 2026 Freight Market Outlook, offering expert guidance for shaping strategies in the face of ongoing uncertainty, shifting trade policies and evolving customer expectations.

Looking at those macro trends, here are the top takeaways for retailers and their suppliers as you think about 2026:

1. Build flexibility into your transportation and sourcing strategies

After years of pandemic-induced volatility, freight rates across most transportation modes have stabilized, with only mild changes expected for 2026. Spot rates appear to have bottomed out, but mild increases are likely, especially in truckload and LTL. However, lingering inflation, labor pressures and regulatory shifts mean we can’t afford complacency. For retail, this means building flexibility into your sourcing and procurement strategies—diversifying suppliers, planning for rate cycles and ensuring contracts allow you to pivot as the market shifts.

Action: Blend Procurement Strategies – Use a mix of contract and spot market buying, aligning RFPs with rate cycles rather than fixed calendars.

2. Trade Policy Volatility: Monitor, Adapt and Diversify

Rapidly changing U.S. tariffs, especially those impacting imports from China, Southeast Asia and Mexico, continue to reshape global sourcing patterns. For retail supply chains, this underscores the need to closely monitor policy developments and be ready to shift sourcing to mitigate risk. With Mexico’s role as a nearshoring hub expanding and Canada’s importance in critical supply chains growing, global sourcing strategies continue to grow more complex. Agility in cross-border logistics and supplier relationships remain more important than ever. Invest in scenario planning and alternative routing to ensure continuity—closely monitor policy developments, be ready to shift sourcing and proactively diversify your supplier network with evolving tariffs and border constraints.

Actions: Reassess Inventory Models – Move toward regional distribution and cross-border diversification to buffer against disruptions and minimize carrying costs.

Map and Mitigate Risks – Proactively identify supply chain vulnerabilities, develop alternative routing and pre-negotiate contingency plans.

3. Evaluate your existing carrier base with operational cost pressures in mind

New regulations—ranging from stricter emissions standards to changes in commercial driver licensing—are likely to contribute to declining carrier supply and increasing operational costs. The ripple effects from are likely to be felt across all transportation modes. As a retail shipper, manage your carrier relationships to minimize your risk: select partners who can adapt to regulatory changes, rationalize your carrier base and proactively plan for seasonal disruptions that may cause rate spikes.

Action: Stay Mode-Agnostic – Monitor truckload markets as a bellwether and remain ready to shift to intermodal, LTL or air as cost and service dynamics evolve.

4. Resilience as a Competitive Advantage: Beyond Cost Cutting

• In today’s unpredictable environment, resilience is your competitive edge. To thrive in 2026, shift your focus from cost-cutting to building a supply chain that can adapt, recover and outperform in the face of disruption. Shift between modes based on ever-changing needs: Optimize the mix of truckload, LTL, intermodal and air to match cost, service and speed requirements.
• Build the right carrier base: Focus on fewer, stronger partnerships for greater efficiency and reliability.
• Automate processes where you can: Digitize shipment tracking, tendering and exception management to reduce manual work and improve accuracy.
• Use data to your advantage: Leverage predictive analytics and digital twin modeling to anticipate demand, optimize inventory placement and evaluate “what-if” scenarios across your network.

Action: Embrace Technology: Make AI-driven forecasting and end-to-end visibility the baseline for decision-making and execution speed. Partner with logistics providers who offer advanced digital and agentic supply chain solutions

Bottom line: In 2026, retail supply chain success will depend on balancing strategic procurement with opportunistic buying, actively optimizing your transportation mix and leveraging technology to anticipate and respond to disruption.