Top executives at large companies say tariffs are one of their top challenges this year, according to a newly released survey — and that they’re taking steps to address them.
Pricing technology firm Zilliant on Thursday released findings from its Business Tariff Impact Survey, which included responses from hundreds of CEOs and other top officials from companies with revenues of at least $250 million.
The company found that nearly one-quarter of those respondents said that “tariff-related expenses” were their primary pricing challenge in 2025 — second only to “competitive pricing pressures.”
In response, 44% of responding businesses indicated that they planned to pass higher costs tied to tariff changes onto consumers. Meanwhile, 42% of respondents said that their company has shifted either suppliers or “sourcing regions” in response to tariffs.
Over a longer 12-month to 24-month window, “tariffs and trade uncertainty” tied with price competition as the top concern.
“What we’re seeing is a significant shift in how companies approach pricing strategy as respondents understand how tariffs will be a blanket concern for their industry and will be monitoring how competitors react,” Zilliant Chief Value Officer Stephan Liozu said in a statement.
The report, however, said that the vast majority — 87% — of executives were still optimistic about “maintaining profitability” — a result, Zilliant officials suggested, of the 83% who indicated they are adjusting to a volatile environment using “AI-driven pricing technology.”
The survey, conducted March 31 through April 2 by London research firm Censuswide, included 200 U.S. CEOs and 200 chief revenue officers or chief commercial officers.