U.S. imports peaked in September! Retailers are ready for the peak season

It is learned that according to the latest monthly Global Port Tracking report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates, with most holiday goods having arrived in September and October, import cargo volumes at major U.S. container ports are expected to slow down for the remainder of 2023. In addition, the report pointed out that U.S. retailers have stocked up to meet the needs of offline stores and online shopping this year.

The report shows that in September, container imports at major US ports reached 2.03 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), up 3.5% from August, making it the busiest month so far this year. However, compared with the same period last year, imports in September fell slightly by 0.2%.

In August, container imports at major U.S. ports reached 1.96 million TEUs, up 2.3% from July, the peak shipping period this year, but down 13.5% from the same period last year.

Ports have not yet reported October data, but according to Global Port Tracker, October throughput will reach 192 TEU, a year-on-year decrease of 4.2%. November throughput will reach 188 TEU, a year-on-year increase of 5.8%. For the whole of 2023, US imports will reach 22.1 million TEU, a decrease of 13.5% from 2022 (25.5 million TEU) and a decrease of 1.2% from 2021 (25.8 million TEU).

Jonathan Gold, NRF's vice president of supply chain and customs policy, said that the labor contract issues with ports, railroads and delivery services that occurred at the beginning of the year are now in the past. Now that the supply chain is running smoothly, consumers will be able to buy the goods they want during this year's peak season.

NRF predicts that U.S. retail sales for this holiday season will increase by 3% to 4% from last year to $957.3 billion to $966.6 billion, exceeding the record of $929.5 billion set last year.

Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates, noted that while imports will slow, the U.S. economy is still in better shape than Europe and Asia, where shipments have fallen significantly due to lower consumer demand.

Ben Hackett added: "Benefiting from employment and wage growth, American consumers' shopping enthusiasm remains high, and they continue to use the savings accumulated during the epidemic to buy goods."

Editor ✎ Nicole/

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