Marketing Through Tariffs in 2025: What Works When Discounts Don’t 

Tariffs are rising. Consumer confidence is falling. And ad budgets are under more scrutiny than ever. 

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 58% of small businesses say inflation and cost increases are their biggest threat in 2025. If you’re leading an eCommerce brand, you’re likely feeling that pressure from all sides. 

But pulling back, cutting deep, or defaulting to discount-heavy promotions isn’t your only option. 

This is your 2025 marketing playbook: how to navigate tariffs, rising costs, and recession pressure without killing your brand value.  

Tell Them Why You’re Worth It: Lead with Value, Not Price

When purchasing power is limited, consumers are more selective—and more skeptical. Your job isn’t to drop prices. It’s to make sure buyers understand why your product is worth paying for. 

To do that, shift your messaging from price-based to value-based: 

• Brand Story: Are you a sustainable brand? Family-owned? US-based? Tell them. 

• Benefits > Features: Why is your product better, not just cheaper? 

• Certifications & Awards: If you have sustainability certifications, or are ranked in your category—brag about it. 

Data insight: Searches for “Made in USA” tend to spike after tariff announcements. If that’s your brand, lead with it in your messaging.

Use Social Proof to Convince Skeptical Shoppers

When money’s tight, no one wants to risk a bad buy. That’s why testimonials, reviews, and credibility indicators are more powerful than ever. 

Use: 

• Review callouts in headers: “500+ 5-star reviews” 

• Video testimonials in PDPs or email flows 

• Press mentions or certifications (“As seen in…”, “Top-rated by…”) 

• User-Generated Content (UGC) on ads and PDPs: Real customers using your product builds instant trust. Short-form UGC clips (think: “unboxing” or “how I use it” videos) outperform polished brand content across social and paid—especially when paired with captions like “Not sponsored—just obsessed.” 

Social proof reduces doubt, increases trust, and supports higher conversion without a single discount code.  

Loyalty > Liquidation: Reward, Don’t Race to the Bottom

Heavy discounts trained buyers to wait. Loyalty perks build value without cutting into your margin. 

Smart alternatives to discounting: 

• First dibs on product drops.

• Free shipping for return customers.

• Thank-you gifts or perks for VIPs.

• Exclusive “we see you” emails that show customer appreciation. 

Emotional connection matters, especially during times of economic stress. 

Use AI Optimization to Cut Waste and Stay Visible

With ad costs rising and AI changing the way people search, now’s the time to re-evaluate your visibility strategy. 

AI optimization—especially for Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs), answer engine results (AEO), and large language models (LLMs)—can help you gain traffic and trust without increasing spend. 

Go Fish’s AI Visibility Audit identifies: 

• Keywords you’re already close to ranking for in AIOs (AIO cusp opportunities). 

• How your AI visibility compares to competitors.

• Backlinks from LLM-indexed domains that already know your brand.

Want to see how you stack up? Request your free review →  

Your Tariff Optimization Checklist

If tariffs are eating into your margins, use this checklist to protect profitability without gutting your brand: 

• Identify SKUs with the highest tariff impact.

• Prioritize marketing for higher-margin or tariff-free products.

• Bundle products to increase perceived value.

• Use labels like “No Import Fees” or “U.S. Shipped” when applicable.

• Adjust paid media targeting to reduce wasted ad spend.

• Shift copy toward “value” instead of “lowest price.”

These subtle shifts can protect your AOV and still drive meaningful conversion. 

Be Transparent—It Builds Trust

Don’t ignore the moment. If your customers are feeling inflation and tariff pain, acknowledge it. Say: 

“We know costs are up—ours too. But we’re focused on doing what’s best for our customers. Here’s how we’re helping.” 

Human, transparent messaging cuts through noise and creates brand loyalty when it matters most. 

Don’t Discount the Brand You’ve Built

Tariffs and recession pressure aren’t going away. But the solution isn’t to slash and survive—it’s to adapt and grow smarter. 

With the right combination of value-first messaging, loyalty-building, and smart AI optimization, your brand can stay profitable—and even build lasting competitive advantage—through the toughest economic cycles. 

If rising tariffs, shifting ad costs, or AI-driven search changes are throwing off your strategy, we’re here to help. 

Whether you’re unsure where to cut spend, how to reallocate budget, or how to keep your brand visible without relying on discounts—our team can guide you. 

Reach out to Agital for personalized support tailored to your goals, budget, and growth targets.