Hot toys such as Squishmallow building sets, Hasbro's Spider-Man action figures and Mattel's Barbie were included in container manifests.
With the threat of tariffs looming, retailers such as Walmart and Target raced to ship popular items into the U.S., container data from ImportGenius shows, illuminating various front-loading strategies.
The total laden imports through the top 10 U.S. ports during the first four months of 2025 rose 15.6% year over year, according to Sea-Intelligence. Target started its front-loading strategy earlier than Walmart, pulling forward freight in January ahead of Lunar New Year, with an additional front-loading of containers before Liberation Day at slightly lower levels, according to the data.An employee adjusts a price label for Barbie dolls displayed for sale ahead of Black Friday at a Walmart Supercenter in Burbank, California.Information from the bills of lading, the digital receipts of shipping containers, shows a wide array of items ranging from Halloween costumes and decor, holiday decorations, air fryers, Barbies, Squishmallows and Mario Kart characters were pulled forward ahead of the tariffs and in the window when tariffs were paused. "The front-loading patterns for the companies over the summer of 2024, ahead of the East Coast Longshoremen strike fears; the first few months of 2025, ahead of Liberation Day tariffs; and the unpausing of Chinese shipments in June, which arrived in July; are visible in the charts," William George, director of research for ImportGenius, told CNBC. The results are based on data collected by ImportGenius' platform, which is populated with U.S. customs data and doesn't represent the companies' entire import volume because third-party logistics providers also move products to their stores, according to ImportGenius. Walmart and Target declined to comment on their trade strategy, citing a quiet period ahead of their upcoming earnings reports.suggests the two discount retailers weren't the only ones scrambling. The total laden imports through the top 10 U.S. ports during the first four months of 2025 rose 15.6% year over year, the supply chain data provider said. This front-loading of containers was almost double the growth of the pre-pandemic period high of 8% growth, and a pre-pandemic average of 4.8% year over year growth, Sea-Intelligence said. "This boom was quickly followed by a bust, as inbound volumes contracted sharply by -4.1% Y/Y in May and by -8.2% Y/Y in June ," said Alan Murphy, CEO of Sea-Intelligence.Diving into the timing of the front-loading, Target started earlier than Walmart, pulling forward freight in January ahead of Lunar New Year, with an additional front-loading of containers before Liberation Day at slightly lower levels, according to the data.and its stock plunged. The company blamed higher freight costs it absorbed as a result of preemptive action to move more product into the U.S. ahead of October. Based on Xeneta data, the average ocean freight spot rates during the month of January — when Target pulled forward its majority of freight — were between $6,364 and $6,881 per 40-foot container equivalent for the Far East to U.S. East Coast. Rates for the Far East to the U.S. West Coast ranged between $4,965 and $5,834 per FEU. "During the first half of 2025, and in particular around the erratic tariff decisions of the Trump administration in April and May, shippers had to deploy stop-n-go tactics," said Peter Sand, chief shipping analyst at Xeneta. "Doing it earlier did not bring lower freight cost around — but shippers doing that enjoyed greater predictability and a more even flow of goods."Walmart's peak front-loading was at its height in March, followed by February, the data suggests. Ocean freight spot rates during this time frame, according to Xeneta, were lower. Shipping from the Far East to U.S. East Coast was priced between $3,616 and $6,266 per FEU. Rates for the Far East to U.S. West Coast ranged between $2,563 and $4,903 per FEU.some orders that were on pause. Both Target and Walmart unpaused shipments. Based on travel time, the containers arrived into the U.S. and were processed through customs in June and July."Depending on the individual company's ability to do so — and their supply chain flexibility — some had to pay up during May-June freight rate hikes, while others had already done so back in January-February and March," said Sand. "Going forward, the smarter shippers with access to the right data can increasingly enjoy more resilient and predictable supply chain flows." Ocean freight spot rates during this time frame, according to Xeneta, increased, with Far East to U.S. East Coast rate rising to between $3,717 and $6,631 per FEU, and rates for the Far East to U.S. West Coast rising to a range of $2,617 to $5,476 per FEU.Piper Sandler raises Nvidia price target ahead of earnings, calls for more than 20% upsideGoldman Sachs names five stocks with more upside following their latest earnings
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