Your Supply Chain Survived Tariffs. Your Inventory Strategy Won’t.
Why Overstock, Not Duties, Is the Real Margin Killer in 2025
Tariffs are back, and this time, they’re landing with impact.
In May 2025, the U.S. Trade Representative announced sweeping new Section 301 tariffs on goods from Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and China. Some increases hit 46% on top of existing rates. For many specialty brands, the immediate reaction was concern over cost increases. But underneath the headlines, a more dangerous challenge has started to surface: inventory dislocation.
It’s not just the duties. The real damage often comes after the shipment lands.
Overstock: The Quiet Collapse Behind Every Tariff Hike
Every time tariffs shift, they reveal a deeper vulnerability: fulfillment rigidity.
Brands plan inventory months in advance. When those goods arrive under new duties or amid changing demand, they often get stuck in the wrong place, at the wrong cost. The result? Overstocked warehouses, delayed sell-through, and increased pressure to discount.
This isn’t just a logistics headache. It’s a profit killer.
The Smarter Response: Real-Time Flexibility with Distributed Fulfillment
Today’s trade environment demands more than sourcing diversification. Brands need fulfillment strategies that adjust in real time.
That’s where Quivers comes in. Our Distributed Order Management (DOM) platform gives you flexible control across your entire fulfillment network, so you can prevent overstock, shift supply to where demand is rising, and fulfill faster at lower cost.
Get Clear on What’s Where, and What It’s Worth
Quivers connects your warehouses, retailers, and 3PLs into a single real-time view of inventory.
With that visibility, you can:
- Reallocate products proactively
- Spot aging stock before it drags down margins
- Fulfill online orders using in-market inventory, not just your DCs
You can’t manage what you can’t see. Visibility makes agility possible.
Fulfill From Anywhere, Not Just One Hub
When tariffs hit, relying on a single warehouse or shipping route compounds the problem.
Quivers lets you route orders dynamically based on cost, inventory levels, and location. Fulfillment can come from stores, warehouses, or regional 3PLs, whichever makes the most strategic and economic sense.
Activate Retailers as Local Fulfillment Partners
Your retailers already have the product in-market. Why not use it?
Quivers enables retailers to fulfill online orders, turning local shelves into revenue-generating nodes. It’s faster, cheaper, and dramatically reduces the risk of carrying too much inventory in the wrong place.
Let the Rules Handle the Variables
As tariffs shift or demand patterns evolve, Quivers automatically routes orders using intelligent logic you control. There’s no need to rework operations manually. Orders go where they should, based on what’s happening right now.
Bottom Line: Tariffs Are Volatile. Your Fulfillment Strategy Shouldn’t Be.
The cost of tariffs is just the surface. What they really expose is how brittle traditional inventory and fulfillment models have become.
Quivers helps brands stay responsive, not just to policy shifts, but to real demand signals across your network. With distributed fulfillment and real-time inventory intelligence, you can avoid the overstock, cut your delivery costs, and move faster with less risk.
Want to see what adaptive fulfillment looks like in action?