About 80% of Import-Export Companies Lag in Responding to Tariff, Currency, and Geopolitical Changes

Shippio Inc., a company advancing Trade Digital Transformation (Trade DX) (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takanori Sato; hereinafter 'Shippio'), conducted a real-world survey targeting 300 supply chain professionals from manufacturing, wholesale, trading, and retail industries regarding international logistics. The survey results revealed that about 80% of companies feel delayed (lagging) in their response to rapid external changes such as tariffs and exchange rates, and over 70% have experienced 'invisible losses' due to inadequate management of logistics costs.

Introduction

Review of tariffs, sharp fluctuations in exchange rates, geopolitical risks such as those in the Strait of Hormuz due to escalating tensions in the Middle East—uncertainties in the international situation have made cost volatility and schedule disruptions in imports and exports a常态化 phenomenon. As supply chain resilience becomes a critical management priority, under such uncertainty, rapid situation visibility and data-driven management of operations and logistics costs (※) are directly linked to corporate competitiveness. However, what emerged from this survey is that only about 20% of companies can grasp and respond to changes in real time, while about 80% are lagging in their response. Furthermore, only about 20% of companies can quantify the cost losses resulting from inadequate responses—revealing a structure where the pain is widespread but 'invisible.' Behind this lies the reality that, despite recognizing the importance of digitalization, analog, person-dependent management systems remain deeply entrenched.

※In this release, 'logistics costs' refer to costs related to trade and international logistics.

Survey Summary

22.0% of companies can grasp and respond in real time to changes in tariffs, exchange rates, and the international situation; about 80% are lagging in response. 73.3% of companies feel that the impact of the international situation on management is increasing.

72.0% of companies have experienced 'invisible losses' due to inadequate logistics cost management. Meanwhile, only 21.3% of companies can quantify these losses in monetary terms.

76.3% of trade and import-export operations still rely on analog methods.

Approximately 70% of companies recognize visualization and data utilization as 'important,' yet 44.7% feel 'limitations of self-reliance' due to lack of resources and expertise. 80.7% of companies are positive about utilizing or considering external tools.

Main Survey Results

1. Maintaining the Status Quo is a Risk—While the weight of management decisions considering the international situation is increasing, about 80% are lagging in response

Since the pandemic, uncertainties in the external environment surrounding supply chains—including tariffs, exchange rates, and the international situation—have increased, and the risk of volatility itself has become常态化. In this survey, only 22.0% of companies reported being able to 'grasp and respond in real time' to such external changes, while about 80% (78.0%) are lagging in their response.

Companies that answered that management decisions considering the international situation have 'increased' in the past year account for 61.3%. Furthermore, 73.3% of companies feel that the impact of these decisions on management is 'increasing.' Continuing current workflows and systems without timely updates in response to external uncertainties is itself becoming a management risk.

2. Invisible Losses—Pain is felt by over 70%, yet about 30% cannot quantify the losses in monetary terms

Due to inadequate logistics cost management, 72.0% of companies reported experiencing some form of impact in the past year (e.g., missing overpriced freight, overlooking overbilling or billing errors, incurring additional fees such as demurrage, unexplained budget overruns, etc.). Furthermore, about 30% of companies cannot quantify the scale of these losses in monetary terms, revealing that while pain is widespread, the scale remains invisible. This indicates that logistics cost visibility has not progressed sufficiently.

3. About 70% recognize the importance of cost visualization and data utilization, yet nearly half feel 'limitations of self-reliance' due to lack of resources and expertise

70.4% of companies recognize logistics cost visualization and data utilization as 'important.' However, challenges in promoting this include 'lack of internal resources (34.3%)', 'dispersion across multiple systems and personnel (26.3%)', and 'lack of expertise and knowledge (22.3%)'. 44.7% of companies feel 'limitations of self-reliance' due to lack of resources or expertise, indicating that despite understanding the importance, challenges remain for self-driven progress. Amid companies facing such a gap between reality and ideals, over 80%—80.7%—show a positive attitude toward utilizing or considering external tools for visualization and improvement.

4. Common Background: Delayed Digitalization—About 80% of companies rely on analog management such as phone calls and manual paper input

In trade and import-export operations, 76.3% rely on analog methods such as individual phone inquiries and manual input of trade documents (centralized management via dedicated systems stands at 28.3%). Without moving beyond manual, person-dependent management and advancing digital-based situation visibility, sharing, and data structuring, the ability to identify and analyze losses will remain limited.

Conclusion

This survey has highlighted the reality that while the impact of rapid changes in tariffs, exchange rates, and the international situation on management is increasing, many import-export companies face challenges in real-time response and accurate cost tracking, resulting in structural 'invisible losses.' Behind this lies an analog operational system that, despite recognizing the necessity, cannot fully escape from manual and person-dependent management. Continuing current workflows and systems without change, while critical information for management decisions remains invisible, itself becomes a management risk that amplifies invisible losses. Whether digital utilization can quickly link external changes to management decisions may directly determine competitiveness gaps in supply chains. Regarding digitalization, where challenges have been highlighted by this survey, the government is also promoting 'Trade DX.' The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced in 'Initiatives on Digitalization of Trade Procedures' (June 2025) a target of 10% digitalization rate and annual cost reduction of approximately 300 billion yen by FY2028, promoting Trade DX across ministries. Building systems capable of integrated visibility and verification of transportation, inventory, delivery schedules, and costs will be a focal point determining corporate competitiveness.

Explanation by Shippio Evangelist

Fluctuations in external environments such as tariffs, exchange rates, and geopolitical risks are no longer one-off events but have entered a phase where they must be prepared for as an ever-present possibility. In this survey as well, over 70% of companies feel that the impact of the international situation on management is increasing, while only 20% can grasp and respond to changes in real time. The key point is that 'external environmental changes cannot be controlled by corporate efforts.' What companies can control is the process of how quickly they can grasp changes, assess their impact on their own transportation, costs, and delivery schedules, and make response decisions. However, if the information underlying this process remains fragmented under paper-based, phone-based, and person-dependent management, it takes time to assess impacts and make decisions. The result that about 80% are lagging in response should be viewed not as an issue of awareness but as a problem of systems and structures. The same structure applies to cost management. Overpriced freight, overbilling, and additional fees such as demurrage could potentially be suppressed if data were accumulated on a per-case and per-cost-item basis. Not all rising costs can be reduced