For Jordie Geuyen, Partnerships Director, Aviation and Trade Services at Hurricane Commerce, the defining challenge in global trade today is not speed, cost, or even capacity. It is data.
After more than 25 years working across logistics, customs, and trade technology, Geuyen has seen the industry evolve from paper-based processes to real-time digital ecosystems. What makes the current transition different, he argues, is its commercial impact. Data quality is no longer an operational detail. It has become a competitive differentiator.
“In cross-border e-commerce, every parcel effectively needs a digital passport,” Geuyen explains. “If that passport is wrong, the commercial consequences show up immediately.”
Incomplete product descriptions, incorrect HS classifications, vague declarations, or inaccurate valuations no longer result in occasional delays. At scale, they translate into storage costs, penalties, returns, delivery failures, and customer dissatisfaction.
For Geuyen, this shift marks a fundamental change in how compliance should be perceived. It is no longer simply a regulatory obligation; it directly affects margins, customer experience, and brand trust.
This perspective has shaped his work at Hurricane Commerce, where the focus is on embedding validated trade intelligence upstream, before shipments move, rather than correcting problems after parcels are stopped.
Geuyen emphasises that thin cross-border margins leave little room for data errors.
Incorrect duty calculations at checkout can undermine conversion rates. Misclassification can trigger unexpected charges or delays. Insufficient screening can create reputational and regulatory risks. Each small failure compounds financially.
“Clean data prevents friction before it happens,” he notes. “That’s far more efficient than solving problems after the parcel is already in transit.”
He sees increasing adoption of an integrated compliance infrastructure that combines HS classification, admissibility checks, denied-party screening, and automated duty and tax calculation. These capabilities move compliance from reactive correction to proactive precision.
DDP has become a cornerstone of cross-border customer experience. Transparent landed costs reduce cart abandonment and prevent unpleasant delivery surprises.
But Geuyen believes DDP is entering a new phase.
Stricter advance cargo filings, enhanced risk screening, and expanding digital customs frameworks are raising expectations around data accuracy before goods depart. Liability structures are tightening in major markets, particularly in Europe and the United States.
“Customers want clarity, but clarity depends entirely on accurate data,” he says. “DDP only works if the underlying information is correct.”
As enforcement becomes increasingly digital, structured, and machine-readable trade data is becoming essential to maintaining seamless cross-border flows.
Low-value shipment thresholds have historically supported international trade growth, but rising e-commerce volumes are prompting governments to reassess these frameworks.
Geuyen is clear that the issue is not the concept of de minimis itself.
“The challenge is misdeclaration,” he explains. “When classification and valuation are accurate, low-value trade can remain efficient without undermining compliance.”
Businesses that already rely on automated classification and validated trade data are likely to adapt more easily if thresholds change or enforcement tightens.
Beyond regulation, cross-border logistics costs are being reshaped by capacity fluctuations, sustainability-linked surcharges, additional regulatory filings, and volatile air freight pricing.
These pressures make prevention critical.
Poor data leads to customs exceptions, reprocessing, reverse logistics, and manual intervention — all of which erode profitability. Conversely, accurate data supports first-time clearance, reduces operational friction, and improves predictability.
Geuyen also highlights an environmental dimension. Fewer returns, fewer re-routings, and fewer failed deliveries translate directly into reduced emissions and operational waste.
Artificial intelligence is already reshaping trade compliance, but Geuyen stresses the importance of vertical specialization.
General-purpose AI tools are valuable for content generation or summarisation, but customs classification and regulatory screening require auditable logic, traceable decision-making, and alignment with structured data.
Hurricane Commerce’s approach focuses on AI models trained specifically within tariff, regulatory, and compliance environments. Accuracy, explainability, and auditability are critical in customs contexts, where decisions must withstand regulatory scrutiny.
“In trade compliance, intelligence must be engineered,” Geuyen says. “It cannot be improvised.”
Technology alone will not solve cross-border complexity. Geuyen believes collaboration between retailers, carriers, brokers, airlines, technology providers, and customs authorities will determine how effectively digital trade ecosystems function.
Shared data standards, interoperable digital systems, and coordinated compliance frameworks are increasingly essential.
“When everyone operates from the same high-quality data foundation, DDP becomes smoother, compliance becomes embedded, and global commerce becomes more scalable,” he explains.
Looking ahead, Geuyen sees the next phase of cross-border e-commerce defined less by speed or price competition and more by data maturity.
Businesses investing in:
will be better positioned to navigate regulatory reform, evolving de minimis regimes, and growing operational complexity.
“Cross-border trade has never been more complex,” he reflects. “But with the right data, the right technology and the right partnerships, it has never offered more opportunity.”
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