The Buzz: Why U.S. Imports From China Are Plummeting — and What It Means for 2026

The future of supply chain is accelerating, and on today's episode of Supply Chain Now, hosts Scott Luton and Allison Giddens are unpacking the global trends, disruptions, and economic shifts shaping what’s next for leaders everywhere. From declining imports to AI’s growing pains, this episode cuts through the noise to bring clarity to fast-moving industry headlines. Welcome to The Buzz, powered by OMP!Scott and Allison dive into the biggest stories impacting supply chains today — and the ripple effects businesses need to prepare for.Together, they discuss:📉 Why U.S. imports from China are falling sharply across electronics, furniture, toys, and more — and how tariffs and cooling consumer demand are reshaping sourcing strategies🤖 The retail AI reality check: Why 95% of organizations see little ROI from AI investments, and how brittle workflows and lack of contextual intelligence are slowing progress🔮 Top supply chain trends for 2026, including workforce and talent shortages, AI-driven transformation, and mounting geopolitical challenges🛒 Thanksgiving meal costs drop 5%, but some items — like sweet potatoes and veggie trays — are bucking the trend with noticeable price increases🌏 What all these signals mean for manufacturers, retailers, logistics providers, and consumers heading into 2025–2026Listen in as Scott and Allison break down the data, share industry insights, and invite you to join the conversation on the challenges and opportunities shaping tomorrow’s supply chains.Additional Links & Resources:With That Said: https://bit.ly/WTS-23Nov2025 OMP: https://omp.com/LinkedIn Post on Needless Meetings: https://bit.ly/NeedlessMeetings ‘This is a structural goods recession’: U.S. freight market is starting to roll over as Chinese trade plummets: https://cnb.cx/48f84oLRetail Supply Chains Need AI More Than Ever, But It’s Not Meeting Expectations: https://bit.ly/AI-RetailSCOMP eBook: Making AI Work for You: From Explainable to Agentic: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0pgvWp0MHI Announces Top Supply Chain Trends of 2026: https://bit.ly/SC-Trends-2026What Experts Will Watch as the Pentagon Implements Acquisition Reform: https://bit.ly/Pentagon-Sourcing-ReformThanksgiving Dinner Cost Analysis: Moderate Decline: https://bit.ly/Turkey-Dinner-PricesDave Krache Foundation: https://davekrache.com/ Allison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisongiddens/Scott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottwindonluton/Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.comWatch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-nowSubscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/joinWork with us! Download Supply Chain Now’s NEW Media Kit: https://bit.ly/3XH6OVkWEBINAR- Inside the Cargo Theft Surge: Insights & Predictions for 2026: https://bit.ly/4oVAsmsWEBINAR- Inside Outdoor Cap’s Warehouse: How Voice Picking Elevated Daily Operations: https://bit.ly/49m4D1zWEBINAR- Supply Chain Strength: Strategies that Deliver in any Economy: https://bit.ly/4hqTnTHWEBINAR- Owens Corning's Roadmap to Fuel Cost Visibility and Savings: https://bit.ly/4pfn5hgThis episode is hosted by Scott Luton and Allison Giddens and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/buzz-us-imports-china-plummeting-what-means-2026-1512 The content in this episode, including all audio, videos, visuals, and graphics, is the property of Supply Chain Now and is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, modification, or re-uploading of this content in any form is strictly prohibited without explicit written permission from Supply Chain Now.For licensing inquiries or permissions, please contact us at [email protected]© 2026 Supply Chain Now. All rights reserved. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.