U.S. Import Bookings Down By 64%, Experts Predicting A 20% Year-Over-Year Drop

On April 9, it was reported that U.S. import bookings were down by 64% when compared to the week before
Uncertainty over tariffs has caused many retailers to press pause on bringing in goods
Experts predict that the trend will not reverse any time soon, forecasting a 20% drop year-over-year

President Donald Trump's tariff policies have U.S. companies putting the brakes on imports for the time being. According to Reuters, citing data from container tracking software company Vizion, between the weeks of March 24-31 and April 1-8, U.S. bookings on massive container ships dropped by 64%.

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In anticipation of Trump's "Liberation Day" announcements on April 2, companies rushed in large orders of goods, hoping to beat the reciprocal tariffs. Once the levies were announced, those same companies all but pressed pause on imports while they waited to see exactly how the duties would land. And with Trump's announcement of a 90-day delay on April 9, many are still on tenderhooks, awaiting clarity.

“It’s a tough environment to operate in because there’s no certainty around what’s happening or not happening," Lee Mayer, CEO and founder of Denver-based Havenly Brands, told Reuters. "There’s a lot standing in place. No one wants to talk costs yet. No one wants to talk re-sourcing yet."

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Reuters reports that many companies that would usually be placing orders now for the winter holidays have yet to do so. Amazon AMZN has reportedly even canceled some summer season orders from China (tariffs on goods imported from China now sit at 145%).

Shortly before Trump announced the 90-day stay on tariffs, with the exception of China, the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates said they expected to see containerized import cargo volume drop by at least 20% year-over-year for the second half of 2025. Even after the delay was announced, the National Retail Federation said it would not revise its forecast.

"Retailers have been bringing merchandise into the country for months in attempts to mitigate against rising tariffs, but that opportunity has come to an end,” Jonathan Gold, the vice president for supply chain and customs policy at the NRF, told Reuters.

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