DHL: 35% cite tarriffs as the biggest challenge to international expansion
DHL Express U.S. has just released its 2026 Mid-Year Survey of more than 400 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), offering a snapshot of how shippers and importers are navigating an increasingly complex trade environment.
While SMEs remain optimistic about business performance, the survey shows that tariffs, trade uncertainty, rising operating costs, and technology adoption are significantly influencing supply chain and expansion decisions.
Survey highlights:
- 74% of SMEs say they are meeting or exceeding expectations for 2026, with 81% confident they will achieve their goals for the remainder of the year.
- Tariffs and trade regulations remain a major headwind: 35% cite them as the biggest challenge to international expansion, while 45% say tariff-related costs have financially impacted their business.
- Among businesses affected by tariffs, 66% have increased prices to offset higher costs.
- Global growth plans are being reconsidered, with 42% of SMEs saying they do not plan to expand internationally this year.
- Reducing operating costs remains a key priority for 35% of businesses as companies seek efficiencies amid ongoing economic pressure.
- AI adoption remains uneven: 43% are not using AI today, while 28% are leveraging it to improve speed and efficiency across operations.
- Sustainability continues to influence logistics and supply chain decisions, with 68% saying reducing their carbon footprint is somewhat or very important.
Greg Hewitt, CEO, DHL Express U.S. commented: “One of the most striking findings from our Mid-Year 2026 SME Survey is just how optimistic U.S. small and medium-sizes businesses are right now, which is not something you’d necessarily expect given the environment. Tariff policy is still evolving, inflation has proven stickier than most projected, energy costs have spiked again, and global conflicts are adding new layers of uncertainty. And yet, 85% of SMEs say they’re confident in meeting their goals for the rest of the year. That’s not a number you manufacture. That reflects real operational discipline built up over several very hard years.
That said, the pressures are real. Nearly eight in ten SMEs tell us tariffs and trade restrictions have pushed their costs higher, and two-thirds have already passed some of that on to customers. The margin squeeze is forcing businesses to make sharper decisions about where and how they grow internationally; they’re not abandoning global ambition but recalibrating it.
What’s perhaps the most significant opportunity hiding in the data is around AI. Forty-three percent of SMEs aren’t using AI at all; not because the benefits aren’t there, but because most tools simply aren’t built for the way smaller businesses actually operate. That gap represents real money left on the table. The companies that find practical entry points, like working with advanced logistics partners that provide AI-enabled logistics and compliance automation, will carry a structural competitive advantage into the back half of the decade. At DHL Express, our focus is making sure SMEs don’t have to navigate any of this alone.”
