Why e-commerce is all about connection

Imagine you own an up-and-coming fashion label and you’re looking to grow your business across Europe and beyond. Anyone can find your online shop, but how can you ensure your products will find their way to shoppers fast, reliably, and affordably?

Many consumers today don’t hesitate to buy from retailers in other countries. In fact, 55% of shoppers worldwide make cross-border purchases, and four in five social media shoppers buy from abroad at least once a month. But delivery plays a key role: 54% of cross-border shoppers say they often don’t place the order once they see the delivery options.

What can online retailers do to reassure overseas shoppers?

DHL eCommerce is our specialist e-commerce logistics and cross-border solutions unit. The backbone of the business is an extensive hybrid cross-border network that connects countries and customers to make every online order a successful one.

What’s a hybrid network, you ask? DHL eCommerce brings together the best operators in each country to ensure shipments move fast and at an affordable cost. That means other DHL divisions work with DHL eCommerce along with national postal services and local delivery partners.

The network operates within Europe, between Europe and North America, from the United States to Canada, and out of Australia.

In 2023, DHL eCommerce’s hybrid network handled more than 200 million cross-border shipments – connecting retailers and consumers across 28 European countries, Australia, Canada, India, and the United States. So far this year, business has grown at a rate of more than 30%.

Across Europe, our network is known as Parcel Connect – a service offering one label, one point of contact, and one online platform for parcel delivery and returns to 28 European countries with customs clearance and real-time tracking. Shipping times range from two to five days at a reasonable cost, allowing many retailers to cover that cost in the price of their products. It provides just the right balance between speed and cost that gets people to click the buy button.

Cross-border trade may be the name of the game, but teamwork is what separates the winners from the losers. DHL eCommerce leverages the strengths of our Group, partners, and state-of-the-art tech to get the job done across countries and continents.

• Our Group
  For example, the network includes DHL Express for first- and last-mile operations and DHL Supply Chain for returns consolidation in some markets. Our Post & Parcel Germany unit uses our dense national network for orders to and from Europe’s largest economy. DHL Global Forwarding handles air transport from Australia to the United States.
• Our partners
  Our partners are also key players. For example, the Austrian Post handles last-mile delivery in Austria. In Italy, we leverage Poste Italiane’s dense delivery network to homes and service points and collaborate on joint outbound services from Italy to the rest of Europe. We’re also working together to develop a nationwide parcel locker network.
• Our technology
  What also brings it all together? The answer is technology. The entire network uses the same shipping label and a single IT platform. This integration provides seamless end-to-end tracking, even when a parcel is carried by multiple partners over the course of its journey.

The outlook for DHL eCommerce is bright, with loads of potential to collaborate across DHL Group and beyond. It’s all part of an extensive e-commerce playbook that includes returns, parcel lockers, and more non-EU shipping lanes.