From Planning to Profit: Key Takeaways from Logicbroker’s Holiday Supply Chain Webinar

As the 2025 peak retail season approaches, brands and retailers face a critical question: how do you scale sales and protect margins while navigating shipping delays, tariff volatility, and shifting consumer behaviors?

Logicbroker tackled this timely challenge in our recent webinar, “Holiday Planning Amidst Supply Chain Issues,” featuring Steve Norris (VP of Digital Commerce) and Robert Schussler (Senior Solutions Engineer).

Packed with actionable insights, the discussion covered everything from tariff preparedness and fulfillment strategy to technology enablement and supplier diversification.

In case you missed it, here are the biggest takeaways from the session, plus expert strategies to ensure your holiday 2025 plans are resilient, responsive, and revenue-ready.

1. Holiday 2025 Is Earlier, Shorter, and More Competitive

The calendar isn’t on your side this year. With Thanksgiving falling later, retailers have fewer days between Black Friday and Christmas. Meanwhile, consumers are shopping even earlier: in 2024, 62% of shoppers started before Thanksgiving.

“We’ve moved from this idea of a Cyber Monday into really a Cyber October,” said Robert Schussler. “That early behavior means that inventory campaigns and supplier relationships all need to be locked in even sooner.”

Steve Norris added, “This year, the holiday season has fewer selling days… so I would expect to see some retailers launching something that looks kind of like a Black Friday in October event.”

2. Tariffs Are Back on the Radar, and You Need a Response Plan

While some trade talks appear promising, the reality is still murky. Key categories like electronics and apparel face elevated risk due to shifting de minimis rules and the potential reinstatement of high import tariffs.

“Delays cost more than duties,” Steve said. “Inventory availability, lack of inventory availability, and margin compression are the real threats.”

Robert noted that changes to de minimis laws and increased customs scrutiny are adding new friction: “Products that previously moved freely are now being delayed. That creates yet another touch point that slows down your supply chain.”

3. Most Retailers Aren’t Ready (But You Can Be)

In a recent survey shared during the webinar, 55% of brands admitted they’d made no adjustments for tariff readiness. That’s a missed opportunity, especially when agility is now a differentiator.

“It’s the retailers that plan for resilience through readiness who are going to be successful this holiday season,” Robert emphasized. “And if you haven’t already mapped supplier risk by geography, that’s step one.”

4. Technology Is Either Holding You Back or Pushing You Ahead

Speed is everything. If it takes weeks to onboard new vendors, your growth plan is already behind. Logicbroker’s platform allows retailers to onboard partners in days, not months, giving teams the agility to adapt when conditions change.

“Your technology should be working for you and not the other way around,” Steve said. “If it takes you six weeks to onboard a supplier, you’ve already lost the opportunity.”

Unified data was another core theme: “You want supplier and product content available in one unified solution,” Steve added. “So you can make pinpoint changes—whether that’s in July or mid-holiday season.”

5. Dropship Is a Strategic Lever for Risk-Free Growth

Dropship isn’t just a fulfillment model—it’s a holiday risk reducer. Steve and Robert shared how retailers are using dropship to test new categories, shift slower-moving SKUs out of warehouses, and quickly react to tariff-driven cost shifts.

“We’re seeing organizations that used to keep dropship and wholesale as separate teams now bring them together,” Steve said. “It creates a more seamless omnichannel experience for the customer.”

6. Smart Pricing Strategy = Bundle and Balance

One of the best ways to manage tariff-related costs? Bundling. Instead of simply raising prices across the board, savvy retailers are combining lower-margin SKUs with high-margin ones to create perceived value without sacrificing profitability.

“It’s not about choosing between absorbing or passing on costs,” Robert explained. “Smart retailers are blending the two. They’re bundling where needed and adjusting pricing where the customer will tolerate it.”

7. Spotlight: How BBQGuys Is Winning with Flexibility

A standout success story from the webinar came from Logicbroker customer BBQGuys. Faced with tariff risk and supply chain complexity, BBQGuys shifted from a rigid wholesale model to a dynamic dropship operation powered by Logicbroker.

“They weren’t just reacting to disruptions,” Robert said. “They were proactively planning around them. With Logicbroker, they onboarded faster, unified data, and delivered a flexible model that gives them confidence year-round.”

He also noted that for BBQGuys, July 4th is a major holiday signal. “Summer holidays are dress rehearsals for Black Friday,” Robert added. “If your systems hold up in July, you’re likely ready for Q4.”

8. Five Things You Can Do Right Now

Steve and Robert closed the webinar with five immediate actions retailers can take:

1. Begin onboarding alternate suppliers today
2. Run margin analyses at the SKU level
3. Simulate pricing scenarios for different tariff levels
4. Centralize real-time supply, demand, and pricing data
5. Build your customer communication playbook for the holidays

“Start supplier onboarding now,” Steve emphasized. “Depending on location and method, you may already be behind.”

Robert added, “It’s never too early to prepare your messaging. Meet your customers where they are with clear, proactive communication.”

Get More Help

Want help evaluating your tariff readiness or assortment strategy? Download the Logicbroker Tariff Survival Playbook or contact us at [email protected] to schedule a 1:1 consultation.

Stay agile. Stay connected. And start planning now to make Holiday 2025 your most resilient season yet.