Majority of Companies Hike Prices to Offset Tariff Costs

As of August 19th, 2025, a new report reveals that nearly half of companies are responding to high tariffs by increasing prices or planning to do so in the near future. The survey, conducted by GlobalData, found that 39% of companies have already raised their prices, while an additional 10% intend to follow suit.

Among the major companies that have already adjusted their pricing or plan to do so are Ford, Adidas, Walmart, P&G, Microsoft, and Shein. However, the report also notes that 13% of respondents indicated their companies do not intend to increase prices.

For those companies that are not raising prices, the primary strategy is to reduce operational or production costs, with nearly half (45%) of them taking this approach. A quarter (24%) of respondents said they plan to negotiate with suppliers, while a fifth (21%) intend to absorb the price increases.

Notably, well over a third (38%) of the survey participants expressed uncertainty about their company's pricing strategies in relation to the high tariffs, a figure that has increased by 1 percentage point from the previous month's survey. The report suggests that many companies have delayed their pricing decisions as they seek clarity on the evolving trade regime.

Despite the uncertainty, respondents are overwhelmingly of the view that the high tariffs will have a negative impact, with 64% expecting them to be detrimental to some extent, 60% anticipating a negative impact on their business outlook, and 75% believing they will drive up inflation. In fact, 56% of respondents expect inflation to rise by over 5% due to the tariffs, indicating significant concern about their potential economic consequences.