According to new research from the British Standards Institution (BSI), more than a third of businesses are actively planning to increase prices to offset costs in the next six months.
Shoppers are also set to face reduced choices and longer wait times for goods, the BSI has suggested, meaning they could struggle to get hold of everything from consumer electronics to medicines.
The Institution surveyed 700 professionals in several countries across logistics, procurement and supply chain functions and 703 workers in retail and consumer goods, food and beverage, agriculture and pharmaceuticals.
It found that the great majority (81%) are currently or are about to be warning customers about shortages, delays or dependency risks.
Almost two-fifths of those surveyed have experienced supply chain disruption in the last year due to geopolitical events (38%), with a further 35% having seen issues arise in this period due to raw material or component shortages.
BSI Practice Director, Supply Chain Resilience, Tony Pelli said: "The era of smooth, predictable global trade that defined the last three decades is behind us. Today's supply chains operate in a world shaped by geopolitical competition, climate disruption and increasing uncertainty.”
Businesses are facing a new normal of near-constant disruption, he concluded.
