Deloitte CFO Signals Survey: CFOs Make Pricing a Strategic Priority Amid Trade, Competition, and Supply Chain Shifts

An overwhelming 96% of CFOs say pricing strategies have shifted in the past six months, according to Deloitte's Q3 CFO Signals™ survey.

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Facing trade policy uncertainty, competitive pressures, and supply chain challenges, corporate finance leaders are rethinking how they set and manage prices. According to Deloitte's Q3 North American CFO Signals™ survey, 87% of CFOs say pricing will play a greater role in organizational performance over the next year, and nearly all (96%) report revising their pricing strategies within the past six months.

Competition and Trade Policy Redefine Pricing Strategies
CFOs are reportedly responding to rising costs in a number of ways. Nearly half (48%) say their organization will pass some or most import duties increases on to customers, while 44% will likely absorb those costs internally. More than half (54%) say they're turning to non-pricing levers adjusting service levels, for one—to offset costs while minimizing customer impact.

"CFOs are approaching pricing as a strategic lever to navigate uncertainty, which has become the new normal amid evolving trade policy and competitive pressures," said Steve Gallucci, U.S. Leader of Deloitte's CFO Program. "Pricing has become a critical test of organizational agility and customer trust."

Pricing Decision Shifts Amid Competitive Pressure and Supply Chain Disruption
CFOs cite competitive pressure (62%) and supply chain disruption (43%) as the two factors most impacting their pricing decisions, followed by trade policy at 34%. In response, many are diversifying suppliers geographically, with expansion into new regions emerging (43%) as the most common response. Fewer CFOs report increasing reliance on domestic suppliers (36%).

Technology and Strategy Gaps Slow Pricing Agility
When asked about barriers to price responsiveness, CFOs most frequently point to internal obstacles.  More than half cite technology-related challenges—such as the lack of accessible data (55%) and inadequate pricing tools (50%). Fifty-four percent say their organizations lack a cohesive pricing strategy.

About the report
Deloitte's CFO Signals 3Q25 report polled 200 North American finance chiefs working at companies with at least US $1 billion in revenues. The survey was conducted between September 3 to September 17, 2025. This second release of 3Q25 data highlights how CFOs are reimaging pricing strategies in the face of evolving economic and policy pressure on business goals.

Our previously released findings on economic sentiment revealed a tepid outlook among respondents: just 19% of finance executives rated the North American economy as "good," only 36% said now is a good time to take on more risk. 90% of surveyed CFOs say they're optimistic about their own companies' financial prospects That's up dramatically from 48% in the last quarter. Growth projections also rose across all key operating metrics.

In addition to the Q3 2025 CFO Signals survey data, Deloitte has launched an interactive dashboard with sector- and revenue-specific filters. The dashboard helps enable users to easily gauge current CFO sentiment, as well as track longer-term trends. The Q3 2025 CFO Signals interactive dashboard, is available here.

About Deloitte
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SOURCE Deloitte LLP