To help prepare themselves against any tariff price hikes, Emily Xu with RNDC says the company leans into real-time data platforms, predictive analytics and supply chain visibility tools.
With six different locations, Tapster is a bar that utilizes a special technology called Pour My Beer, where customers can pour their own drinks and automatically have it added to their tab through a guest Tapcard, which is linked to their credit card upon walking into the bar.
DATA AND ANALYTICS
Data and analytics are always powerful tools that can help businesses, especially during uncertain times. According to Emily LaVasseur, co-founder and managing director at Waypost Advisors, the CBP and ACE portal is crucial for providing insights to tariff / duty spend trends.
“ Knowing a couple of quick tips can help mitigate the number of duties required to be paid,” she says.“ For example, ensure the value of the imported product does not include the value of the freight. If you’ re buying Delivered Duty Unpaid from an overseas supplier, whatever commercial value they list on the invoice is what you will pay duties against. If that value includes freight or other charges, you’ ll be paying duties on those, as well.”
Additionally, LaVasseur suggests understanding your supply chain flows and operations to help indicate where there may be opportunities to take advantage of other trade programs, such as duty drawback or Foreign Trade Zones( FTZ).
“ With the right tools, you can pull in real-time data on tariffs, shipping and inventory to adjust your prices quickly so you’ re not losing money or pricing yourself out of the market,” advises Daniel Gorlovetsky, CEO at TLVTech.“ Tariffs aren’ t going away— but with the right technology in place, you can stay ahead instead of constantly playing defense.”
To help prepare themselves against any tariff price hikes, Republic National Distributing Company( RNDC) leans into real-time data platforms, predictive analytics and supply chain visibility tools.
“ These technologies help us model different scenarios, reroute shipments and make smarter inventory decisions on the spot,” says RNDC’ s chief digital and information officer Emily Xu.
SUPPLY CHAIN VISIBILITY
The supply chain is evolving � and fast. Beverage alcohol companies need to keep up or risk being left behind.
RNDC’ s chief supply chain officer, Sean Halligan, believes the key is resilience through visibility. The company’ s IT and digital teams partner closely with the supply chain team on integrating tools that give them a clear view from supplier to shelf space.
“ We aim to pivot quickly when disruptions hit,” Xu says.“ As a distributor, we sit at the center of the beverage alcohol ecosystem. That gives us a unique advantage to help our partners navigate.”
When you’ re able to see your supply chain clearly, Xu says you’ re better able to spot:
• Inefficiencies
• Reduce unnecessary costs
• Make better decisions on sourcing and logistics
“ It’ s about creating a connected ecosystem,” she stresses.“ The more your systems talk to each other, the more you can adapt in real time— and that’ s where the real savings( and resilience) come from.”
BEVERAGE BRANDS EVOLVING WITH TECHNOLOGY
There are many ways that technology is evolving to help support beverage alcohol companies, both with tariff and other economic struggles.
To help save money, Roman Maliszewski, founder and CEO of Tapster Tasting Room, says the bar utilizes a special technology called Pour My
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