3 Supply Chain Numbers Every Amazon Seller Should Know in 2026

Supply chains used to be optimized for cost. In 2026, the winners build resilience. These three numbers show where the shift is headed and what it means on Amazon.

• Category Amazon Strategy
• Year 2026
• Read time 4 to 6 min

Table of Contents

• 66% of Retailers Plan to Restructure Their Supply Chains This Year
• $158 Billion Lost Annually to Poor Collaboration and Excess Inventory
• 41% Jump in AI-Driven Supply Chain Visibility Expected This Year
• The Takeaway

Key Takeaways

• Restructure means resilience, not cheaper Diversify suppliers, add buffers, and reduce single points of failure before you are forced to.
• $158B highlights the cost of inefficiency Misaligned forecasts and excess inventory show the old cost-first model is leaking cash.
• Visibility is becoming a competitive edge AI-driven sensing beats quarterly forecasting when tariffs, fees, and demand shift fast.
• Amazon punishes inconsistency Stockouts break rank momentum and make ads unpredictable, regardless of the reason.

3 Supply Chain Numbers Every Amazon Seller Should Know in 2026

For three decades, supply chains were optimized for cost. In 2026, adaptability is the edge.

For three decades, supply chains were optimized for one thing: cost. Cheapest supplier, leanest inventory, fastest route to margin. That playbook worked when the world was predictable.

It is not predictable anymore. Tariffs shift overnight. Demand patterns break without warning. Suppliers that were reliable for years become liabilities in a single quarter. The businesses adapting fastest are not chasing cheaper supply chains. They are building more resilient ones. And the data shows this shift is accelerating.

Here are three numbers worth paying attention to, and what they mean if you sell on Amazon.

66% of Retailers Plan to Restructure Their Supply Chains This Year

Trading lean efficiency for the ability to absorb shocks without breaking.

According to Deloitte, two-thirds of retailers are preparing to restructure their supply chains if input costs rise in 2026. But the key word is restructure, not reduce. They are not just looking for cheaper options. They are diversifying suppliers, building regional hubs, and adding buffer inventory.

For Amazon sellers, the implication is the same. The brands building flexibility into their supply chain now, before they are forced to, will be the ones that maintain consistent inventory while competitors scramble.

On Amazon, consistency is everything. Stockouts kill ranking momentum. Inconsistent supply makes ad spend unpredictable. The algorithm does not care why you went out of stock. It just moves on.

$158 Billion Lost Annually to Poor Collaboration and Excess Inventory

The price tag of a cost-first system in a world that no longer stays stable.

SPS Commerce estimates that $158 billion is lost every year due to inefficiencies between trading partners: poor communication, misaligned forecasts, and excess inventory sitting in warehouses.

When your entire supply chain is built around cost and prediction, any disruption cascades into waste. Scale that down to an Amazon business and the equivalent is dead capital in FBA storage, overstocked SKUs eating fees, and understocked winners losing rank.

These are not supply chain problems. They are symptoms of a system designed for a stable environment that no longer exists.

41% Jump in AI-Driven Supply Chain Visibility Expected This Year

The new model is sensing and responding, not hoping the forecast holds.

The same data shows a projected 41% increase in retailers using AI for supply chain visibility within the next year. This is where the shift from cost to resilience gets practical.

The old model relied on forecasts: predict demand, place orders, hope you got it right. The new model is about sensing and responding in real time.

The Amazon sellers winning right now are not better at predicting demand. They are faster at adapting when reality does not match the plan. Adjusting orders based on tariff implications. Pivoting quickly when Amazon rolls out new fees and policies. Making weekly decisions instead of quarterly bets.

The goal is not a perfect forecast. It is a system that can absorb surprises without falling apart.

The Takeaway

The cheapest supply chain is no longer the best supply chain. The most adaptable one is.

The brands that treat sourcing, inventory, and fulfillment as a system built to flex, not just a cost to minimize, are the ones building durable businesses on Amazon.

Want to make sure your Amazon strategy is built for what is coming? Start here: The Only Way to Transform Your Amazon Business in 2026.

Read the 2026 fundamentals

Build a supply chain that stays consistent to the algorithm, even when the world is not.

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