The 2018 holiday season was one of the best in recent years, exceeding expectations by the National Retail Federation (NRF), who predicted a U.S. sales growth rate of between 4.3% and 4.9%. The reality was higher. Total spending between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday in the U.S. was up 5.4% at $998.32 billion. E-commerce sales during the five-day period from Thanksgiving [...]
Outerknown was launched by professional surfer Kelly Slater in 2015 to create sustainable, planet friendly men’s & women’s lifestyle clothing. The brand’s mission to protect natural resources, empower the people crafting their clothes, and inspire change within the apparel industry resonated with domestic and international consumers. However, the brand struggled to localize its currency, target its product catalog and the high [...]
Latin America is a top region for emerging e-commerce growth, due to rising internet penetration rates and a growing middle class demanding foreign goods and services. But with 27 separate nations or territories and a variety of currencies and payment preferences, market entry in Latin America for cross-border retailers can be complex. That’s why the Global E-commerce Leaders Forum (GELF) is [...]
Flow recently conducted a research study surveying global consumers regarding their cross-border shopping expectations and behaviors. Sixty-seven percent of global consumers surveyed said they have made a purchase from a retailer outside their home country. This percentage rate is higher in certain locales such as Brazil (86%), Australia (85%), Canada (83%), and France (79%). While cross border e-commerce is on [...]
In Western countries, including the U.S., Mexico, Canada and the U.K., Christians are preparing their Easter celebrations for Sunday, April 21. This is a time when e-commerce retailers have been offering special promotions on last-minute items associated with this holiday: spring clothing, shoes, and of course, Easter-related gifts and candy. According to a recent NRF study, eight in ten adults in [...]
Brands and retailers know all too well how rapidly the state of e-commerce is evolving. For domestic online merchants, keeping up with technological innovation and increasingly higher consumer expectations is difficult. But for cross-border e-commerce retailers, meeting these challenges is even harder. There are numerous friction points along the customer journey that become barriers to making cross-border purchases. To gain more [...]
When cross-border e-commerce businesses ship products into different countries, an important consideration is including local duties and taxes into the product’s price. In terms of best practice, this reduces customer post-purchase friction. No two countries are alike in terms of legislation and regulations, so just how are these fees calculated? In 1988, the World Customs Organization created a single system to [...]
Let’s face the facts: international shipping is hard. Too many international retailers still don't know how to ship across borders, and don't even know where to begin with an international shipping strategy. There are several reasons for this. Managing last-mile carriers across various countries is difficult. There are carrier fees, country-specific taxes and duties and product restrictions to consider in each [...]
Brands are increasingly at the mercy of global tech giants like Amazon, Google and Facebook (Instagram) to access customers. The sales that occur on these large platforms tend to be less profitable compared to purchases made directly through a brand’s website. This is, in part, due to commissions and marketing costs that contribute to the cost of a sale and impact [...]
The French market presents considerable potential to cross border retailers. France is the fifth largest e-commerce market in the world and the seventh-largest economy in the world, with 89% of its population connected to the internet, and 67% identifying as “active online shoppers.” With a low return rate, these savvy digital consumers are open to cross border online purchases, so well-prepared [...]
