Strategic Radar Customer Survey Results Revealed
- Customs management is becoming a strategic priority: 44% of companies report increased visibility of the function and greater involvement in strategic decision-making.
- Despite the growing importance, companies still rely heavily on external professionals: 70% outsource customs clearance, mainly due to the lack of internal expertise and capacity.
- One in three companies admit their response to trade uncertainty is reactive; three quarters of respondents have not yet taken measures to mitigate risks from the evolving tariffs shifts.
- Goods classification is a risk area: 56% face misclassification exposure, one in three have never reviewed their classifications, and 28% have already seen negative impacts such as added costs or customs audits.
Rotterdam, 24 February 2026. Global trade is getting tougher: geopolitics, volatile markets and an ever-growing web of regulations are turning customs and trade compliance into a strategic priority for European companies. Yet internal capacity and specialist expertise often fail to keep pace with rising complexity. That is a key finding of the second Strategic Radar Customer Survey, 2026 by Customs Support Group (CSG). For the survey, Europe’s leading independent provider of customs clearance and trade solutions evaluated the responses of almost 200 European manufacturing and retail companies.
Customs management moves from back office to boardrooms: Nearly 44 per cent of surveyed companies say their customs function has increased in importance, with 18.5 per cent describing this as a significant rise. This shows that companies are taking the growing complexity and volatility of cross-border trade more seriously at a strategic level.
However, the reality in corporate practice is different: while strategic importance is rising, many organisations lack customs-specific expertise and staffing capacity.
“The survey shows a paradox,” says John Wegman, CEO of Customs Support Group. “Customs and trade compliance is more important than ever, but many companies are understaffed in this area and act reactively rather than proactively. This is a risky combination in a geopolitically unstable environment. Luckily, external trade advisors and specialised customs brokers fill the gap, being positioned as long-term strategic enablers, rather than purely operational suppliers.”
Outsourcing remains the norm
Despite its growing strategic importance, operational customs clearance remains outsourced in many companies: 70 per cent of the companies surveyed do not have an internal team for customs declarations and rely on outsourcing to external partners. Even where internal teams do exist, they are usually small: around two-thirds of companies that manage customs declarations themselves employ only up to four full-time staff for this purpose – and usually work with external partners as well.
The lack of specialised customs knowledge remains the main reason for outsourcing – among 38 per cent of respondents. One third cite a lack of capacity as the reason, and just under 30 per cent consider outsourcing to be more cost-effective. Added to this are advantages such as access to digital solutions (22 per cent), better documentation quality (19 per cent) and support with rapidly changing regulations (18.5 per cent).
There is also considerable reluctance when it comes to staffing: although 23 per cent have hired additional employees in their customs compliance departments in the last 24 months, only six per cent are planning further hires, while 58 per cent have no plans for expansion.
Expert topic: Goods Classification
As tariff tensions increase, accurate goods classification remains critical to assessing duties and understanding the impact of supply-chain changes. While customs declarations are often outsourced, goods classification still remains an in-house responsibility. 60 per cent classify goods entirely in-house, while a further 20 per cent combine internal expertise with external support.
At the same time, confidence in their own classification averages just under 3.9 (out of 5), which is comparatively low given the importance of the task. In addition, only 30 per cent have a high level of confidence in their own goods classification. Control mechanisms also remain weak: only about one in three companies reviews its classification annually, while another third has never conducted a review. Only 12 per cent of them plan to conduct a review this year.
As a result, more than half of the companies surveyed (56 per cent) are exposed to latent misclassification risks. 28 per cent of them already report negative consequences such as higher costs or customs audits.
“This discrepancy between responsibility and review practice is worrying,” says John Wegman. “Those who set classifications once and then do not review them regularly create unnecessary risks – from additional payments to audits and operational delays. When in-house capacity is limited, partial outsourcing to trusted external partners can help close the gap.”
AI remains a support tool – human expertise stays essential
In contrast to last year, artificial intelligence plays a less prominent role this year. No company relies entirely on AI for classification. Only 24 per cent use AI regularly or occasionally for goods classification. Notably, 55 per cent still refrain from implementing AI for these tasks.
“This reluctance is justified,” says John Wegman. “Goods classification carries major compliance implications, and organisations don’t want to risk an algorithm misclassifying goods and triggering costly penalties. Human expertise – what we call ‘Real Intelligence’ – remains the foundation. That said, AI can still add value by consolidating data and supporting analysis, while leaving the final classification decision to experienced specialists.”
Many companies only react in an emergency
The Russia-Ukraine war is and remains the biggest external strain on supply chains: 32 per cent of companies report major direct impacts. Close behind are the Red Sea crisis with 23 per cent and US tariff tensions with 21 per cent.
Companies are noticeably alarmed about the future geo-political volatility and uncertainty. On a scale of 1 to 5, the “level of concern” is around 3.1, with around a third being concerned or very concerned.
Nevertheless, many companies are acting reactively: more than 42 per cent have not taken any specific measures against geopolitical tensions. Three-quarters of companies have not implemented any measures to mitigate tariff tensions risks. Overall, only around 18 per cent say they manage trade uncertainty proactively and with foresight. One-third only react when problems arise, and around 10 per cent describe their approach as passive.
“This is not sustainable,” warns John Wegman. “Looking ahead to 2026, a reactive approach to this is unlikely to remain viable, as regulatory pressure, enforcement intensity and geopolitical volatility are expected to force more proactive and structured responses. Organisations that delay preparedness may face higher compliance risk, cost exposure and operational disruption when reactive options narrow.”
Download the full report.
Strategic Radar Customer Survey – Methodology
The Customs Support Group conducted the Strategic Radar Customer Survey in the fourth quarter of 2025. A total of 194 European importers and exporters took part in the anonymous online survey. The survey focused on five key areas:
- Internal customs clearance capacities and staffing
- Outsourcing patterns for customs tasks
- Management of goods classification
- Impact of geopolitical events
- Strategic responses to trade uncertainty and regulatory volatility
Respondents came from Italy, the Netherlands (17.5 per cent each), Germany (16.1 per cent), Poland (13.3 per cent), Belgium and the US (7 per cent each), as well as France, the UK (5 per cent each) and other European countries. Respondents work in the functional areas of logistics (28.8 per cent), customs (19.1 per cent), management (14.6 per cent) and procurement (8 per cent).
About Customs Support Group
Customs Support Group (CSG) is Europe’s leading independent provider of customs clearance and trade solutions, enabling seamless cross-border operations through cutting-edge digital innovation and deep industry expertise.
With a presence in 15 European countries at major strategic locations, CSG offers the most comprehensive range of customs services in the market. Serving over 60 000 customers and backed by a team of 1700 dedicated customs professionals, CSG helps businesses enhance operational efficiency and regulatory compliance in an increasingly complex trade environment.
For more information about the Customs Support Group, please visit www.customssupport.com
For media inquiries, please contact:
Customs Support Group
Julia Verbunt
Email: julia.verbunt@customssupport.com
