Top 7 Retail Data Blind Spots Suppliers Can’t Afford in a Volatile Trade Environment
- The HRG Team
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Let’s talk about blind spots. Not the kind on the freeway (though those are terrifying too), but the ones in your retail data—the invisible gaps that quietly cost you thousands while you’re busy trying to manage chaos.
Especially now. With reciprocal tariffs shaking up trade costs and supplier relationships, these blind spots aren’t just inconvenient. They’re dangerous.
Here are seven common ones we see trip up suppliers when the pressure is on:
Out-of-Date Pricing in Retailer Systems You made changes in response to tariff impacts, but did your pricing updates make it into every single system across your retailers? If not, say hello to underpayments and compliance fines.
Promotion Expirations Not Aligned with Cost Changes That BOGO deal from three months ago? It doesn’t work with your new cost structure. But if it’s still live in their system, you’re eating the loss.
Unreconciled Freight Charges Tariffs often affect shipping strategies. Deductions will follow if your team hasn’t updated routing guides and matched them to new invoice terms.
Disputes Sent Without Supporting Documentation When you're rushed, you might just hit “dispute” and move on. But no doc = no dice. Retailers reject incomplete disputes all the time.
Inconsistent SKU Data Across Retailer Portals Slight name mismatch. Missing attribute. One UPC off. That’s all it takes for a chargeback to slip past your team’s radar.
Old Contracts Still Governing New Costs You adjusted your cost-of-goods after the new tariffs. But if your contract terms didn’t change with them, you're locked into deductions based on outdated assumptions.
Failure to Analyze Deduction Patterns Over Time Are you still treating deductions as one-offs? Or are you tracking trends by retailer, category, or type? The data will tell a story only if you ask the right questions.
Blind spots aren’t just oversights; they’re missed opportunities. With the right data strategy, every issue is recoverable or preventable.
The question isn’t whether you have blind spots. It’s whether you know where they are—and whether anyone on your team is watching.
No one likes being blindsided.
Take a fresh look at your data. Spot the weak links. And make sure your deduction process is strong enough to weather whatever trade curveballs come next.