Small and midsize companies (SMBs) are spreading their provide chains throughout extra areas and inserting orders earlier as shippers grapple with an more and more difficult mixture of provider delays, freight prices, tariffs and shifting client demand.
In line with Netstock’s 2026 Provide Chain Planning Benchmark Report, no single disruption is dominating stock selections this 12 months. As an alternative, companies are confronting a large number of pressures on the similar time — a shift shifting from remoted volatility to “provide chain chaos.”
Netstock, a provide chain planning software program firm, primarily based the report on a survey of greater than 2,500 prospects worldwide, together with a survey of greater than 150 customers at small and midsize companies with lower than $250 million in annual income.
Provider lead-time swings ranked as the most important stock planning problem for 29% of respondents, adopted by uncooked materials and enter prices at 23%, freight and transport prices at 22%, and demand shifts at 21%.
The challenges change into even bigger when companies had been allowed to establish a number of pressures: provider timing appeared among the many high three considerations of 77% of respondents, freight and transport in 72%, uncooked supplies and enter prices in 66%, and demand shifts in 57%.
The findings counsel freight demand might change into more and more fragmented as smaller companies diversify suppliers, shift buy orders between nations and alter cargo timing somewhat than counting on the comparatively simple inventory-building methods that characterised 2025.
Final 12 months, tariffs had been a dominant concern and prompted companies to front-load orders and construct buffer inventories. In 2026, commerce coverage stays an element, however Netstock discovered that shipping-route disruptions, raw-material prices, demand adjustments and inconsistent provider efficiency are more and more converging.
Extra suppliers imply extra freight lanes
One of many clearest potential implications for freight markets is the continued diversification of SMB sourcing.
Amongst companies sourcing from the U.S., China, Canada and Mexico — 4 areas tracked persistently throughout Netstock’s previous three benchmark studies — the share sourcing from at the least two areas elevated from 45% in 2024 to 49% in 2025 and 55% this 12 months.
Whereas diversification can cut back dependence on a single provider or nation, Netstock famous that it additionally creates further complexity by extra suppliers, lead instances and freight routes.
The shift might translate into extra difficult freight networks as importers divide buy orders amongst a number of nations, doubtlessly creating smaller or much less predictable cargo patterns throughout ocean, air, trucking and intermodal networks.
Companies additionally seem like progressively reconsidering offshore sourcing. Desire for offshore suppliers declined from 31% in 2024 to twenty-eight% in 2025 and 21% this 12 months, whereas desire for home sourcing elevated from 19% to 21% after which 23% throughout the identical interval.
On the similar time, the share of SMBs sourcing from two or extra provider areas has elevated by 10 proportion factors since 2024.
China lead instances emerge as larger concern
China stays a serious element of these sourcing networks, however companies counting on Chinese language suppliers reported a major deterioration in lead-time situations.
In 2025, 61% of SMBs sourcing from China cited lengthy provider lead instances, in contrast with 52% of companies sourcing elsewhere. This 12 months, these figures widened to 75% and 42%, respectively.
That expanded the China sourcing hole from 9 proportion factors to 33 proportion factors in a single 12 months.
Provider reliability extra broadly can also be beneath strain. Netstock discovered lead-time variability impacts 74% of SMBs, lengthy lead instances have an effect on 63%, and minimal order portions have an effect on 60%.
Tariffs haven’t essentially resulted in fast provider switching, nevertheless.
Solely 35% of U.S. SMB respondents mentioned that they had modified suppliers due to tariffs in the course of the earlier 12 months. Amongst companies that switched, 44% cited price as the first motive, adopted by country-of-origin danger at 26%, provider reliability at 15% and tariff-driven lead-time adjustments at 11%.
As of Sept. 24, import bookings from China to the U.S. (IOTI.CHNUSA) have been averaging decrease than the earlier three years, in response to BigRig SONAR information. The IOTI is an index that measures bookings of container imports with a 14-day shifting common.
“[2026] has been far much less chaotic, however presumably no much less nerve-racking, as shippers navigate quickly increasing transportation and stock prices in a really shaky client setting,” SONAR’s Head of Freight Market Intelligence Zach Strickland wrote in a latest report. “Politics have change into more and more intertwined with economics, making many uneasy concerning the state of issues regardless of the mixture figures portray a reasonably steady image.”
Earlier orders might shift freight demand
Companies are additionally trying to get forward of peak-season disruptions.
Fifty-three p.c of SMBs mentioned they’re ordering earlier or shopping for bigger portions in preparation for peak season, whereas 39% are relying extra closely on forecasting and planning instruments. Solely 10% are including or switching suppliers.
For transportation suppliers, earlier buying can shift freight demand ahead, doubtlessly producing stronger volumes forward of conventional seasonal peaks and softer demand later if companies have already stocked their warehouses.
However Netstock’s findings additionally illustrate the hazard of front-loading stock with out precisely forecasting demand.
Solely 44% of companies ordering earlier reported service ranges above 90%, in contrast with 62% amongst corporations that weren’t ordering earlier. Lifeless-stock charges weren’t considerably higher amongst early consumers.
Netstock concluded that the defining provide chain problem of 2026 is now not fixing a person disruption. As an alternative, corporations more and more should handle persistent uncertainty as a part of on a regular basis operations.
Why it issues: A broader provider footprint can shift freight amongst ocean gateways, cross-border corridors and home transportation networks whereas growing logistics complexity.
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