Wondering about the true opportunity presented by cross-border e-commerce? Maybe you already see at least 5% of your traffic originating from outside your home country, but are not sure if it’s worth your time and effort to find a way to sell to these global shoppers. On top of that, what are the customer trends and how can you take advantage of them? We’ve compiled these eight statistics to help you answer those questions.

1. International shopping habits accelerated during the pandemic—57% now shop globally online.

“More than half of online shoppers surveyed in the U.S., Germany, Australia, and the U.K. had made at least one online purchase from abroad as of August 2021. In addition, another 22 percent were considering doing so. Regarding what brought them to cross-border e-commerce, 43 percent somewhat or strongly agreed that the increased usage of online shopping during the pandemic encouraged them to consider buying from overseas.”

https://www.statista.com/statistics/509454/attitudes-to-ordering-abroad-worldwide

2. “Too high shipping costs” were the main reason for shopping cart abandonment.

In 2021, too high shipping costs were the main reason among 69 percent of online shoppers from the United States for abandoning their purchase while shopping with brands from the United Kingdom. The second most common abandonment reason was that the delivery time would be too long, with 62 percent of respondents. Additionally, 44 percent of U.S. shoppers abandoned their UK order because they did not want to risk paying for import duties when picking up their package.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1296824/reasons-us-shoppers-abandon-uk-purchases-online

3. Global shoppers are primarily after apparel, electronics, and health & beauty products.

“The three leading categories bought cross-border were clothing, footwear & apparel (34%), consumer electronics (22%), and health & beauty (19%).”

https://www.ipc.be/services/markets-and-regulations/cross-border-shopper-survey

Customer satisfaction is lowest for delivery speed.

“The IPC Cross-Border E-Commerce Shopper Survey 2021 asked respondents for their level of satisfaction with each element of the delivery process: delivery cost, tracking, speed, delivery location, customs and returns. Satisfaction was highest for delivery location (68% extremely / very satisfied) and lowest for delivery speed (46%).

$719 billion in 2021 and an estimated $5.576 trillion by 2025.

“The global cross-border B2C e-commerce market size was valued at USD 719.02 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.8% from 2022 to 2030, reaching USD 5,576.73 billion.”

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/cross-border-b2c-e-commerce-market-report

US-based merchants account for almost 50% of cross-border e-commerce purchases.

“US-based merchants remain a top seller worldwide, making up almost 50% of cross-border e-commerce purchases in Canada, Mexico, South Korea and Brazil. China currently spends over $79B on cross-border e-commerce purchases from US-based merchants.”

https://www.paymentsjournal.com/ppro-research-confirms-local-payment-methods-will-dominate-as-cross-border-e-commerce-grows/

7.  Cross-border e-commerce will outpace domestic e-commerce, by almost twice as much.

“The value of cross-border E-commerce has been predicted to grow by 25% a year – almost twice as fast as domestic E-commerce.”

https://www.dhl.com/content/dam/downloads/g0/press/publication/g0_dhl_express_cross_border_ecommerce_21st_century_spice_trade.pdf

Fast and free shipping makes all the difference.

“91% of shoppers will abandon retail sites if they don’t offer fast or free shipping.”

https://www.pitneybowes.com/content/dam/pitneybowes/us/en/ecommerce-study/ecommerce_study_shopping_infographic_mobile.pdf

These statistics make it clear that a staggering opportunity exists for e-commerce brands. Ready to take advantage of the global cross-border movement? 

8 cross-border e-commerce statistics you need to know

You may have heard the term cross-border e-commerce and wondered what it meant or whether it was a good fit for your business. Perhaps you’ve even looked into a few third-party logistics partners but were left scratching your head. We’re here to simplify the conversation.

What is cross-border e-commerce—a definition.

“It’s simply the process of selling products or services via an e-commerce website to buyers overseas. You can be a traditional brick-and-mortar store or purely an online business – what matters is that you’re reaching international customers in the international markets. It’s worth bearing in mind though, that while the concept is fairly straightforward, being able to tap into new mindsets abroad and persuade folks to try your products or services is no easy task. Tastes, cultures, competition and even attitudes to buying from foreigners vary in each country, so you’ll need to plan carefully before diving in.”

https://marketfinder.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en_gb/guide/cross-border-ecommerce

Sadly, this is the mistake some companies make—growing excited about the revenue potential of selling globally, and then jumping in without a solid plan. This can lead to expensive results, cumbersome processes, and a lot of regrets. But, don’t let that sour your mood on the topic completely. Instead, let’s take Google’s advice, and plan carefully before diving in.

 This could be your own website or through a partnership with an online marketplace (such as Amazon or Mayple Marketplace).

Specifically, you’ll need the ability to accept payments in foreign currency.

Once the order is placed, you need to be able to pick, pack, and ship internationally (a shipping and logistics partner can help with this).

The ability to accept international returns. 

Remember, customers expect this to be as seamless as possible.

 This includes staying accurate on things such as import and export fees, local regulations, and customs.

Yet, before you start checking off the items on that list, you’ll want to make sure you have potential international customers to sell to. While marketing plays a role in this, so does meeting customer concerns and expectations. As one example, “91% of shoppers will abandon retail sites if they don’t offer fast or free shipping.” (

What are some of the top concerns of global customers:

Now that you know some of the requirements, as well as the customer concerns, you may be wondering whether it’s worth the effort. We cover the incredible size of the opportunity in another post (link to 8 cross-border stats), but here we’ll share four key reasons it is worth the investment. We’ll also remind you that, depending on the path you choose, implementation can be quite simple. We cover this in detail below.



 They’re already visiting your site and engaging with your marketing, why not sell to them?

 Domestic markets can end up highly saturated with a greater expense for attention. International markets can offer increased awareness at a more efficient cost.

Build a wall around your market share by gaining a global foothold.


Finally, how will you put your plan into action? There are three primary paths to implementation:

Using online tools like Shopify and a payment provider, you can begin to accept international orders in foreign currency through your existing site.

Legally, you’ll need to understand the requirements for each country you are selling into. This may involve customs, import/export fees, or other duties and taxes. Some countries will also require the setting up of a legal entity based within their borders.

Logistically, you’ll need a way to fulfill these orders accurately, quickly, and cost-efficiently. This includes packaging, storing of goods, transportation partners, and an understanding of the costs throughout the entire journey.

From a customer-experience standpoint, you’ll need a way to set expectations around cost, speed, and returns. If unmet, you run the risk of one-off orders without the hope of repeat purchases. If your promises do not line up with your customer’s expectations, you run the risk of missing out on the purchase.

Ultimately, you may be able to save money by doing it yourself but be prepared for a lot of complexity and the on-going management of a piece-mealed supply chain. Customer experience may suffer as a result.
  
   

2. Sell through a third-party marketplace

Using platforms such as Amazon or Mayple Marketplace, sellers can begin selling to international customers by outsourcing some of the processes.

These platforms attract an audience on your behalf and they can also partner with you to help in the fulfillment of the orders and to manage potential returns.

Utilizing these marketplaces can also reduce your complexities—legally, customs, and the supply chain.

Depending on the platform, the fees and/or revenue sharing can be prohibitive to profitability, make sure to do your research.

This option can be a good short-term solution depending on your brand aspirations. For those with the hope of larger-scale revenue and brand awareness goals, our final option may make more sense.

  

3. Partner with a third-party global logistics platform for e-commerce

Unlike using a third-party marketplace, this option allows you to still sell through your existing website. There’s no great change required to your sales cycle and some partners even make it as simple as a single Shopify integration.

First, those who take over just the shipping side of your supply chain. They’ll help you manage the order after it is placed, to get it to whichever country the customer is located in.

Second, those who proactively store your inventory in their strategically located warehouses, taking over the entirety of your supply chain—from fulfillment to shipping to returns and more.

The first category of partners can help lift the supply chain burden but at a steep cost—slow shipping times at a high expense. We’ve seen that these obstacles are prohibitive to many international customers.

The second category of partners is relatively new and they are bringing innovation to the logistics industry. For example, brands who partner with Mayple Global as their third-party global logistics platform, can reasonably expect 2-5 shipping, 99% same day order fulfillment, and express shipping starting at $7.

These third-party platforms will also take care of the legal requirements, helping you to navigate the complexity of customs, duties, taxes, and fees.

From a simplicity and customer experience standpoint, partnering with a third-party global logistics platform can be a fantastic option, especially for brands who have larger ambitions and want to invest in their own digital properties rather than relying too heavily on marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay.


  
Wondering how much this kind of full-service global fulfillment would cost your brand? 

What is cross-border e-commerce?

Getting started with Mayple Global is extremely easy for existing Shopify customers. With a single integration, brands can partner with us to optimize their supply chain, selling globally (or even domestically) with ease and efficiency.

What does the onboarding process look like? We’ll use this post to walk you through it.

But first, how do you know if are you a good fit for a partnership with our global logistics platform? This list shares some of the ideal traits, however, feel free to reach out to us with your specific situation and we will be happy to assess it for you. This certainly isn’t an exhaustive or restrictive list, but it can be a helpful guide as you are doing your research.

Have more than 50,000 monthly visitors to your website

Have at least 5% of traffic originating from outside the US

Have fewer than 50 SKUs for sale on your site

Have some buzz that is driving global awareness—this often comes from celebrity backing or other influencer partnerships

Manufacturing your products somewhere in Asia, using containers to ship inventory to the US by ocean

Now, what does the onboarding process look like—from integration to the first order delivered:
 

Download the Mayple Global app from the Shopify store

The app will begin to collect data to ensure accurate information about your inventory.

Once analyzed, we’ll invite you to ship your inventory to one of our tax/duty-free global fulfillment centers, located in various parts of the world. We call this proactive warehousing.

When the cargo arrives, a goods receipt is submitted within 48 hours and the inventory is then updated seamlessly on the website.

You can now immediately push international orders to the fulfillment center through the Mayple Global app.

Once an order is submitted (again, this happens seamlessly), we work to fulfill it on the same day, utilizing a leading last-mile partner to deliver it to your customer’s doorstep, usually within 3-4 days.

All of the order information, such as tracking number and status, gets updated on the website to enhance the customer experience.

On the back end, the inventory gets updated at various delta points, and a complete sync happens daily. Refresh times can also be customized if preferred.



Our professional onboarding team will help you through each of these steps, should questions arise along the way. We are here for your success. 

Set yourself free to sell to anyone, anywhere

Online sales shouldn't be restricted by physical boundaries.

Global fulfillment has never been faster, cheaper, simpler, or more reliable.

Here's how it works.

Hello 2-day delivery

Often 45% or more

A plug + play integration

Customer experience is king

How much could you save?

Number of international orders

100

300

500

2000

5000

10000

Shipping costs with alternative solutions

$3,218

Costs with Mayple Global

$1,516

Monthly savings with Mayple

$1,701

Digitize your global supply chain and serve customers around the world

Additional Reading