The on-again, off-again threat of tariffs has many industries sweating it out as they await clarity. But importers of low-cost goods have an extra wrinkle they’re following: de minimis exemptions.
Supply Chain Dive reports that the de minimis exemption is still on the chopping block, and experts say importers need to find long-term solutions that minimize their exposure to a turbulent trade environment.
Those long-term solutions mean rethinking their North American operations.
FourKites’ Stephen Dyke notes that e-commerce retailers and direct-to-consumer brands that previously depended on drop-shipping products from overseas would most likely shift to bulk importing into US warehouses for domestic fulfillment, increasing operating expenses and eroding the competitive advantage of ultra-low-cost retailers.
“While proponents argue these changes level the playing field for domestic sellers, the transition will require companies to invest in advanced documentation systems, consider enrollment in trusted trader programs, and potentially redesign their distribution networks to maintain efficiency under the new regulatory framework.”
Rather than providing users with software tools that help them work, Service-as-Software leverages highly advanced AI agents to perform complex, industry-specific workflows with zero human intervention. FourKites Founder and CEO Matt Elenjickal argues that the benefits will be enormous — as will be the need to manage this massive change with our human workers — in his latest for
The wave of AI innovation is barreling ahead faster than ever — and leaders in the space must ride out in front of it, or else risk being pulled under.
