Consumer Behavior

Majority of consumers deeply concerned about potential tariff price increases

Chart provided by Optimove

April 30, 2025

A strong majority, 55%, of U.S. consumers are deeply concerned about potential tariff-drive price increases.

That's a prime finding of a Optimove Insight survey released by the company's research division.

The survey, conducted in April 2025 among 320 U.S. consumers aged 18–65 with household incomes of $75,000 or more, reveals tariffs, alongside inflation, are reshaping consumer behavior, according to a press release.

Additional findings include:

• 82% expressed concern about inflation, with 47% significantly changing their spending habits.
• Everyday essentials like groceries and gas are the top spending worry for 31% of consumers.
• Tariffs are tied with lifestyle costs, such as dining out and entertainment, as the second-highest spending concern (19%).

"Brands that integrate empathy and personalization into their marketing strategies can better ease consumer anxiety and differentiate themselves during economic uncertainty. To do so, marketers must be able to respond to consumers in real time which requires positionless marketing that frees marketing teams from the limitations of fixed roles, giving every marketer the power to execute any marketing task instantly and independently," Rony Vexelman, VP of Optimove's VP, said in the release.