The 2025 holiday shopping season is shaping up to be one of the most complex in recent memory. At last week’s Industry Dive virtual event A Look at 2025's Holiday Shopping Season, retailers, consultants, and logistics leaders shared how they’re preparing for peak. From tariff-driven inventory strategies to the evolving role of brick-and-mortar and the rising importance of carrier diversification, the conversations were insightful and action-oriented.
For consumer brands navigating these waters, the takeaway is clear: logistics decisions are no longer behind-the-scenes. Your fulfillment and logistics strategies are business-critical levers for margin protection and customer experience.
In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at these three themes: tariff mitigation, retail opportunities, and carrier diversification; and what they mean for consumer brands heading into peak season.
Tariff Mitigation: Balancing Frontloading and Flexibility
If 2024 was unpredictable, 2025 is downright volatile when it comes to tariffs. Forecasting has become an educated guess, with trade policy shifting on short notice. That’s why many retailers and manufacturers have leaned into frontloading inventory, pulling forward purchase orders to beat tariff hikes.
The benefits are obvious: securing pre-tariff pricing and ensuring inventory availability for peak. But the risks are just as real: congestion at ports and DCs, fluctuating warehouse costs, and the chance of consumer demand falling short, leading to markdowns.
Motivational helps brands walk this tightrope with flexible storage capacity, shared warehouse options, and quality reporting to help you make data-driven decisions.
When it comes to tariffs, or navigating any change or disruption in our industry, agility is the name of the game. Whether you’re shifting suppliers, adjusting product assortment, or simply bracing for the next tariff announcement, having a partner that can flex quickly with you is the key to staying ahead.
With inflation-weary consumers showing signs of deal fatigue, retailers are leaning on “surprise-and-delight" moments in-store to capture attention. Michael Scrafford, Vice President, Commercial Activation at Target, put it plainly: high-quality displays are “absolutely critical” to creating the joy and discovery shoppers expect.
For consumer brands, taking advantage of value-added services provided by your 3PL, such as retail display design and assembly, are an opportunity to stand out. The right endcap or bundle can spark product discovery, reinforce brand image, and convert browsers into buyers.
Motivational Fulfillment specializes in value-added services such as: display assembly, kitting, and vendor compliance checks that ensure your products show up correctly, on time, and ready to shine. When every square foot of shelf space matters, the ability to execute flawlessly on retail displays can make the difference between hitting sales targets and missing them.
One of the clearest takeaways from the carrier sessions was this:
“You can't force people to buy more, but you can save money with your carriers.”
- Lori Boyer, Head of Content Marketing at EasyPost
Diversifying your carriers can be game-changer for saving on transportation costs. Being able to manage more aspects of your logistics and fulfillment strategies together via one reliable 3PL streamlines your operations and grants you greater agility and visibility.
No single carrier can deliver the best outcome across all shipments. That’s why leading logistics partners are leaning into dynamic parcel programs that rate-shop across carriers in real time.
Some 3PLs, like Motivational, have already built these dynamic parcel programs, offering their clients access to savings without needing to renegotiate contracts themselves.
The 2025 holiday season will test every part of the supply chain: tariff strategy, retail execution, and parcel operations. For consumer brands, the winners will be those who embrace flexibility, proactively navigating tariffs, leaning into retail displays to help discovery and to maximize in-store sales, and unlocking carrier savings through a carrier diversification program.
At Motivational, we are proud of ability to help our customers with these exact challenges and opportunities. With flexible storage options, value-added services, and our dynamic parcel program, we do so much more than just move boxes. We work hard to protect your margins, strengthen your retail relationships, and deliver consumer experiences that stand out when it matters most.
Ready to see what we can do for your operations? Let's talk.