68% of marketers have had to adapt their strategies due to tariffs. The most successful brands are finding opportunities in uncertainty.

Our April consumer pulse, a monthly survey of 600 US consumers, showed that shoppers pulled back spend in the face of a changing economy. In May, consumer sentiment and spending habits rebounded in a positive direction. But tariff policy continues to evolve.

On top of that, brands are facing inventory and cost-of-goods challenges. So marketers need to be flexible and adapt quickly to support bottom-line revenue.

The impact varies by industry. More than two-thirds of US businesses say their marketing plans have been affected by tariffs—with apparel, accessories, home & office, pets, and food & beverage verticals hit hardest.

We surveyed over 200 Attentive customers to understand how they're responding to these market pressures. The results reveal that the most successful marketers are using this ambiguity as a catalyst to strengthen direct customer relationships, refine their value propositions, and build more agile marketing operations—and they’re increasingly leaning on AI technology to do it.

Here are four key takeaways from the Attentive Marketer Pulse.

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1. Email and SMS lead the charge as marketers double down on direct relationships

When budgets tighten and unpredictability looms, marketers are gravitating toward channels they can control—and the data shows a clear winner. Email and SMS have emerged as the top revenue drivers during this period of uncertainty, followed by paid search and paid social.

While 78% of all marketers say email is effective at driving revenue right now, it's working particularly well for fitness & wellness (89%) and food & beverage (93%).

As owned channels, email and SMS allow brands to gather first-party and zero-party data they can use to power personalized marketing campaigns that convert better than other channels.

These personalized campaigns create a valuable feedback loop: the more data brands collect through direct interactions, the more relevant and effective their future messaging becomes—a critical advantage when every customer touchpoint needs to perform to its highest potential.

It's no surprise then, that email and SMS are the channels marketers are increasing investment in the most.

Meanwhile, non-digital channels like TV, out-of-home, and direct mail are seeing the most cuts. This is likely due to the challenges of tracking performance and precise targeting when every marketing dollar needs to prove its worth.

The relationship-first approach extends beyond owned channels. Marketers are also continuing investment in affiliate and influencer marketing—channels that leverage trust and connections partners have built with their audiences.

While this channel wasn't ranked a top revenue-driver, partnerships serve as valuable stepping stones, building credibility and increasing touchpoints, on the path to direct relationships with shoppers.

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2. Value-focused messaging and behavioral segmentation drive revenue

As consumer spending patterns shift, marketers are honing how they communicate value and who they target.

While 47% of marketers are still relying on traditional discounts to incentivize purchases, they know the importance of emphasizing deeper value propositions.

86% of marketers are making changes to highlight value in their messaging as consumers become more selective with their spending. The top approaches include:

• Emphasizing product quality and durability
• Focusing on unique design elements or exclusivity (the #1 approach for apparel and home & office)
• Highlighting brand heritage or story (the top approach for food & beverage)

By avoiding competing solely on price, these strategies prevent a race to the bottom, protecting margins in the process.

And the best way marketers are finding to deliver relevant value to consumers is through targeted messages. 90% of marketers are using segmentation strategies to drive sales in the current climate.

Of those leaning into segmentation, the two most popular approaches are segmenting by:

• Purchase history and frequency (62%)
• Engagement with marketing campaigns (60%)

This allows brands to focus their efforts on subscribers who are most likely to convert—with relevant messages, maximizing ROI and reducing the chance of unsubscribes from shoppers who aren't buying right now.

AI is amplifying marketers' efforts, with 88% incorporating artificial intelligence to maximize efficiency and performance during this period of uncertainty. Among those using AI, the most common use cases are:

• Content generation (55%)
• Personalization at scale (42%)

These capabilities support the value messaging and segmentation strategies marketers are prioritizing and help them improve campaign performance and reduce manual workload.

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3. Finding marketing opportunities in the face of inventory shortages

Inventory concerns are widespread, with 64% of marketers either anticipating inventory shortages in the next 3–6 months or unsure if they will face them. Accessories, home & office, and food & beverage verticals are the most impacted.

So marketers are pivoting the strategies to work with what they have while creating anticipation for future purchases:

• 51% are switching promotional focus to in-stock products
• 41% are building future demand through pre-orders and in-stock notification sign-ups

For those left promoting existing stock, the key to success lies in making these products feel fresh and exciting.

We've seen brands repackaging existing products into new seasonal bundles or collections, whether it’s sets of tried-and-true products perfect for summer or curated collections for special events, like weddings or vacations.

Jewelry brand Jennifer Behr shows off their bestsellers to reignite interest in their summer-ready wares:

Athleticwear brand Vuori adds social proof to the mix by partnering with Cindy Crawford and the rest of the Gerber family to bring together a collection of their go-to essentials—no need for new product.

Looking ahead to Black Friday/Cyber Monday, 94% of marketers who may experience inventory shortages will consider changing their Black Friday marketing strategies if these challenges continue. Most are unsure exactly how, but only 7% say they'll adapt the timing of their BFCM promos.

This is at odds with what consumers have told us: 27% of shoppers—and 45% of Gen Z—say they'll start shopping earlier this holiday season. So brands should plan for the season to start as early as September.

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4. Brands are leaning into price change transparency

The marketer survey reveals that transparency around price increases is becoming the norm. 69% of brands are either communicating about price changes or plan to when the time comes—though only 29% of them are already doing so proactively.

In our April Consumer Pulse survey, 61% of shoppers said they want to know when prices will change and by how much, with 48% specifically wanting proactive communication about the causes of price changes, such as supply chain impacts. Only 6.5% said they didn't want any communication at all about pricing shifts.

Announcing price increases ahead of time can have the added benefit of creating urgency—customers will want to buy while prices are still low, essentially turning price communication into a sales driver. It also builds trust by positioning the brand as honest and customer-focused during uncertain times.

For brands that are communicating about price changes, 50% are using direct channels like email and SMS to reach customers and 36% are training customer service representatives on how to explain changes when shoppers ask.

While transparency offers clear benefits, it requires careful execution. Some brands face pushback from customers who expect companies to absorb costs or relocate sourcing domestically—a reaction that doesn't account for the complexity of global supply chains and profit margins.

We recommend marketers acknowledge the factors outside of their control while emphasizing their commitment to quality and value for their customers.

Ultimately, the brands that choose transparency recognize that proactive price communication can strengthen customer trust.

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Thriving in uncertainty requires agility

While market volatility creates pressures for brands, the most successful marketers will pay attention and adapt quickly—using this period to build competitive advantages that will serve them long after the tariff impacts stabilize:

• Invest in owned channels like email and SMS that offer control and personalization
• Showcase value in communications to encourage purchases while protecting margins
• Use behavioral segmentation to target high-intent customers
• Get creative with existing inventory and build demand for future stock

The brands that build these strong foundations now position themselves to deepen customer relationships and build more resilient businesses.

If you’re an Attentive customer and want to discuss these insights in more detail, reach out to your CSM for support incorporating these into your email and SMS program.

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Methodology

In May 2025, we surveyed 220 users of the Attentive platform to find out how they're impacted by tariffs in the United States and what channels and strategies they're using to adapt.

Respondents covered companies from less than $1M to more than $100M in revenue and across 8+ verticals.