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Cross-Border Ecommerce

Cross-Border and International Ecommerce - The Opportunities and Challenges

Once you’ve established your brand in your home market, one of the best ways to grow your business is to expand internationally.

Cross-border ecommerce is a huge growth opportunity. According to a recent study conducted by Flow Commerce, 76% of online apparel shoppers across 8 top global markets have made a cross-border purchase in the prior six months. Statista estimates the global ecommerce market will pass $6 trillion by 2024, with revenues in China expected to have the largest growth rate at a CAGR of 11.6% up through 2024. Similarly, Statista expects that U.S. market revenues will exceed $490 billion by 2024, while revenues in Europe will reach $516 billion in the same time frame.

What Is Cross-Border Ecommerce?

Opportunities of International Ecommerce

  1. Larger market

Challenges of International Ecommerce

  1. Fulfilment and Shipping
  2. Currency and Payment Preferences
  3. Language and Localization
  4. Customer Support and Service

What are the Cross-Border Ecommerce Solutions?

1. Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA)

For US & Canadian shops only 🤪

A great way to start your international expansion is to use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)

What’s great is that FBA can be integrated with Shopify, giving your customers a great brand experience whilst leveraging Amazon’s powerful fulfillment network

Shopify have created a great article on how to get this setup

There are a few hoops to jump through to get this setup but the main thing is that you have an Amazon Seller Central account and a Shopify Account

2. Global-e

Global-e simplifies the process of selling internationally. Its solution cuts through the red tape so you can focus on finding more customers while Global-e handles the complexities around international checkout, tax, shipping and returns.

Here are some of the benefits to using Global-e’s end-to-end cross-border solution:

  • Global-e becomes the Merchant of Record – meaning that as soon as the courier has picked up the shipments, Global-e becomes responsible for that package, including delivery and returns.
  • Global-e’s integration with Shopify provides a localised checkout and multiple currencies and payment methods.
  • Taxes and duties are calculated upfront ensuring there are no surprises from the customer’s point of view.
  • You can benefit from Global-e’s economies of scale when it comes to shipping costs.

Learn more about Global-e’s international ecommerce solution

3. Send Cloud

Under $50,000 / year of international revenue

Cross-Border eCommerce FAQ

How can I grow my eCommerce business internationally?

How do cross border payments work?

How do I start selling internationally?

How do you market internationally?