How Shopify Brands are Adapting to Tariffs

Tariffs are reshaping how Shopify brands plan, price, and promote—especially as costs rise and consumer behaviour shifts. We’ve spoken with dozens of merchants navigating these changes, and several smart strategies are emerging.

Here’s how forward-thinking brands are adapting—and how you can stay ahead.

🔄 Shift from Defense to Offense

Instead of just reacting to tariff changes, some brands are finding opportunities to play offense.

1. Look for Category Advantages

• Hardest hit: Electronics

• Least affected: Beauty and health
  If you're in a less impacted category, it might be a great time to lean in. With some competitors pulling back, customer acquisition can become more efficient.

2. Expand Internationally

As U.S. imports become more expensive, many brands are eyeing global expansion. International diversification helps hedge risk—and may open up high-potential markets.

3. Adapt Inventory Strategies

To reduce upfront costs, brands are ordering less. This means:

• More out-of-stock moments

• More pre-orders

Handled well, these moments can boost performance—especially when paired with waitlists, email capture, or VIP early access promos.

4. Communicate Price Changes Strategically

Some brands can’t test prices directly (especially those with large retail footprints). In these cases, urgency-based campaigns like:

• “Buy before prices go up”

• Countdown promos

• Price increase announcements

…can help maintain conversions.

Brands that can test prices are using this moment to gather valuable insights on revenue, conversion rate, and profit tradeoffs.

💡 3 Real-World Tactics from Brands Navigating Tariffs

From our conversations with Shopify brands, here are three pricing insights you might not expect:

1. The “Let Others Go First” Strategy

Some are holding off on price testing, believing consumer behavior hasn’t fully adjusted to tariff effects yet. They’re waiting to collect cleaner data once the market settles.

2. Geo-Targeted Price Testing

Brands with retail stores typically avoid price testing due to overlap with in-store pricing. But now, they’re testing in regions with little or no retail presence to get cleaner, more isolated results.

3. Down-Funnel Price Testing

Instead of changing product prices directly, some brands are experimenting later in the funnel:

• Offering extended warranties or service options

• Adjusting shipping costs

• Increasing free shipping thresholds

This approach avoids front-end sticker shock while still improving margins.

🚀 Need Help? Visually Can Support You!

Whether you're testing pricing, promotions, or shipping thresholds, Visually will help you adapt with confidence.

If you’re facing tariff-related challenges, we’re happy to chat through ideas and help get high-impact experiments live—fast. Contact us today!

* Price and shipping testing are available on certain plans, for more details see our pricing page