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Global trade shifts show why retailers need agile tech stacks

The lesson from global trade is clear. Agility is the new currency of growth.

Photo: Generated by AI. Adobe Stock.

January 27, 2026 by Jon Rodgers — VP of Partnerships North America, Patchworks

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The trade war headlines are far more than political theater — the ripple effects are already shaping how retail operates. With new tariffs in play, and export patterns changing faster than anyone expected, operational and, importantly, technical agility has become the real competitive advantage.

It was recently reported that President Donald Trump's renewed trade war is unexpectedly boosting the U.K .economy. New trade routes are opening and Canadian exports to the U.K. have risen by 63%.

While some countries are finding fresh opportunities, many U.S. businesses are taking a wait-and-see approach, holding budgets and delaying replatforming projects until the economic winds settle.

But waiting can be risky. If trade shifts overnight, retailers need systems that can shift with them. That means integration speed, flexibility, and visibility are far more than just technical features, but are actually strategic levers for growth and resilience.

Agility as advantage

In retail, the ability to connect new systems quickly is a marker of competitiveness. When trade routes change, so do logistics partners, distribution hubs, and consumer demand. Things move fast. A retailer that can integrate a new ERP, warehouse, or sales channel in days rather than months will always be ahead of one still waiting for its IT roadmap to catch up.

It's not about starting from scratch or committing to another costly replatform. In fact, most businesses can't justify that kind of spend right now, and don't have the time to do it. The smarter move is to get more from what's already in place — connecting existing systems faster, removing bottlenecks, and reducing the tech debt that slows teams down.

That's where integration platforms come in. By automating data flow between systems, retailers can respond faster to changing markets without burdening developers or waiting for lengthy IT cycles. It's operational agility, built into the tech stack.

To minimize the effect, MAUVAIS used its U.S. entity and adopted a transfer pricing model, advised by U.S. tax lawyers. This allows goods to be sold to the U.S. subsidiary at a lower transfer price before being sold to American customers, so duties are charged on the lower value.

But making that work in practice required new system integrations. Jordan Jones, CEO of MAUVAIS, even put out a LinkedIn call at the beginning of August asking if anyone could connect Shopify and Mintsoft within 14 days to support the model.

We answered the call, and our partner Cogent2 delivered the integration in only 14 days. As a result, MAUVAIS went live in the U.S. in time for tariff day, with compliant invoices and pricing in place.

Diversification as resilience

The trade realignment triggered by tariffs mirrors what's happening in retail. Just as Canada has diversified away from US dependence, brands need to diversify their own channels to protect revenue. Putting all your eggs in one platform — whether that's Amazon, Shopify, or a single logistics partner — is a vulnerability.

When economic, political, or even algorithmic changes hit, diversification cushions the blow. The same mindset that helps a nation weather trade disruption helps a retailer handle demand swings, supply chain disruption, or platform outages. Integration makes this possible — connecting the mix of sales and fulfillment tools that turn a fragmented operation into a coherent one.

Compliance and transparency

Trade flows aren't the only thing evolving. Compliance, audit, and traceability requirements are changing too. Consumers and regulators alike expect clear visibility into where goods come from, how they're handled, and how data is managed.

This is another area where integration creates value. When your systems are connected and data moves in real time, transparency becomes a natural by-product. Retailers can trace orders, prove compliance, and respond to changing standards without reinventing processes each time a regulation shifts.

The next retail transformation is iPaas

Over the past decade, much of retail's technology conversation has focused on replatforming. But the next transformation won't come from swapping one platform for another. It will come from how quickly retailers can connect the systems they already have, adapt to new realities, and turn data into decisions.

Integration may not grab headlines in the same way a new brand launch or marketplace expansion does, but it's what makes those ambitions achievable.

The lesson from global trade is clear. Agility is the new currency of growth. Whether you're navigating tariffs, supply-chain disruption, or shifting consumer expectations, the ability to move fast — and move smart — will define who thrives in the next chapter of retail.

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