Jeroen Leenders (CBM): Today, we are looking back at a massive transformation. Over the last twenty-five years, the global logistics and supply chain sector has evolved from a paper-heavy, localized industry into a hyper-connected, tech-driven ecosystem.

Few organizations embody this shift better than Spring GDS, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and has successfully reinvented itself from the traditional mail divisions of TNT and PostNL into a premier international e-commerce specialist.

Joining us today are regional leaders and commercial directors from Spring GDS Italy and Spain to share their journey. Let’s start at the beginning.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM): What did the industry look like when you first stepped into it?

Spring GDS Spain (José Ángel Daza Martinez): When I entered the industry twenty-five years ago, international logistics was primarily a "mail business." We operated in a framework that relied heavily on physical sorting and the sprawling infrastructure of traditional networks like TNT. In countries like Spain and Italy, operations were completely decentralized. We had localized offices across regions like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and the Canary Islands just to handle physical letters and documents. There was no real-time data; an item arrived when it arrived.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM): That sounds like a completely different world. When did the turning point occur?

Spring GDS Italy (Gabriele Bavera): The real paradigm shift happened about fifteen years ago. The structural decline of paper mail coincided with an unprecedented boom in online shopping, forcing a complete overhaul of our corporate DNA. We can actually break this historical transition down into three distinct phases:

1. The Traditional Postal Era: Characterized by physical paper mail, a total absence of IT tracking, and procurement conversations held at a low operational level.
2. The Transition Period: The rise of basic scanning technologies, the shift from letters to small packets, and rapidly changing client profiles.
3. The Modern E-Commerce Era: Our current landscape, driven by hyper-connected API integrations, real-time data streams, artificial intelligence (AI), and strategic consultation at the executive level.

Moving into this modern era required a massive technological leap. We had to build complex IT infrastructures capable of handling real-time track and trace and direct API integrations with storefronts like PrestaShop or Magento.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM): Making that shift couldn't have been easy for the workforce or your clients. How did you manage that transition?

Spring GDS Spain (José Ángel Daza Martinez): It was an intense internal and external challenge. Logistical teams accustomed to scanning bags of mail suddenly had to understand web integrations and digital checkout ecosystems. It took months of bi-monthly training sessions to elevate our staff's competencies.

Commercially, the landscape shifted entirely. In the postal era, our sales reps negotiated with low-level procurement assistants looking for the cheapest per-kilo rate for letters. Today, logistics is a core pillar of a retailer's business strategy. Suddenly, we were consulting directly with corporate founders and CEOs, because a failure in shipping meant a direct failure in customer retention. We transformed from a simple vendor into a strategic growth consultant.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM):  It’s well known that the pace of digitalization varied across Europe. How did regional differences impact this journey?

Spring GDS Italy (Gabriele Bavera): Smaller, densely populated countries like the Netherlands and highly structured markets like Germany were early adopters of advanced domestic e-commerce networks. Southern European markets like Italy and Spain faced unique geographic and infrastructural hurdles during the early digital wave. We had to deal with extended delivery times and complex regional address systems. However, the rapid expansion of international e-commerce triggered an impressive convergence.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM):  Looking at this, the shift from raw speed to predictability is fascinating. Can you tell us more about the evolution of the so-called "Amazon Effect"?

Spring GDS Spain (José Ángel Daza Martinez): During the initial e-commerce boom, consumer expectations were hyper-focused on raw speed. The rapid rise of Amazon Prime conditioned the public to expect purchases instantly. Sellers believed that if they couldn't deliver across borders within 24 to 48 hours, they would lose the sale to domestic competitors.

We challenged this assumption by offering transparent, reliable cross-border options that took three to four days but cost up to 50% less than express couriers. That completely changed the mindset of merchants and consumers. Today, predictability dominates. Modern online shoppers value knowing exactly when a package will arrive. If a delivery is guaranteed to arrive in exactly four days, consumers will choose that option, especially since it represents an economical and sustainable choice.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM):  Let’s talk about geopolitical disruption. How did Spring GDS handle major regulatory shifts, like Brexit?

Spring GDS Spain (José Ángel Daza Martinez): When the UK voted for Brexit, it sent shockwaves through the industry. For many European logistics firms, the reintroduction of hard borders, complex customs declarations, and tax adjustments felt like an existential threat. Many carriers scaled back or suspended their UK operations.

We viewed Brexit as an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the value of an asset-light, agile business model. By investing heavily in automated customs solutions and tax compliance software, we kept the UK market completely open for European merchants while others pulled back. Today, despite the friction of operating outside the EU single market, the UK remains one of our most profitable and high-volume trade lanes. It proved that mastering regulatory complexity is a powerful differentiator.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM):  To make these complex cross-border solutions work efficiently, you can’t just target anyone. What does Spring GDS’s Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) look like today?

Spring GDS Italy (Gabriele Bavera): We have moved entirely away from one-size-fits-all shipping. Our network is designed around a highly specific ICP. First, we look for market maturity—merchants who have been operating for at least four to five years and understand digital integrations. Second, we look for international ambition—retailers who view domestic sales as a saturated commodity and look to cross-border markets for true growth.

Finally, from an operational standpoint, we thrive on parcel density. The ideal retail profile ships compact, high-density products, such as cosmetics, apparel, fashion accessories, and small consumer electronics, generally weighing sub-1kg to 2kg maximum. When thousands of these small parcels are consolidated into our large pallet boxes, it maximizes spatial efficiency across our long-haul networks. This allows us to lower per-unit shipping costs and pass those savings directly back to the merchant.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM):  An operation like this requires incredible dedication. One thing that stands out about Spring GDS is the long-term retention of its team. In a high-stress industry, how do you maintain this?

Spring GDS Spain (José Ángel Daza Martinez): It comes down to corporate culture. Traditional corporate structures, particularly historical frameworks in Southern Europe, were often rigid and slow to reward talent. Adopting a flat, modern corporate culture—pioneered by our Dutch parent organization, PostNL—served as a massive competitive advantage.

We heavily encourage internal mobility. Personally, I started my career in billing, transitioned into finance, moved to commercial pricing, stepped into active sales, and eventually assumed a regional leadership role. This multi-disciplinary background ensures that our leadership team intimately understands every single moving part within the supply chain.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM):  How does that culture translate into customer value?

Spring GDS Italy (Gabriele Bavera): A culture built on direct communication and operational transparency fosters rapid innovation. When employees are given the freedom to voice strategic opinions openly, the organization adapts to market disruptions far more effectively than a traditional, top-down hierarchy. Our clients interact with highly motivated, knowledgeable logisticians who view their role as a long-term consultancy rather than a transactional job.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM):  Looking ahead, what do the next five years promise for the logistics landscape?

Spring GDS Spain (José Ángel Daza Martinez): The industry is currently facing a massive convergence of consumer pressure, regulatory mandates, and technological breakthroughs. The most significant operational shift underway is the rapid transition from home delivery to Out-of-Home (OOH) networks, such as automated parcel lockers and local retail pick-up points.

Home delivery is notoriously inefficient; failed first-delivery attempts increase carbon emissions and strain carrier profitability. By consolidating hundreds of deliveries into a single automated locker location, we drastically lower operational costs, and consumers get the ultimate flexibility to pick up their packages whenever it suits them. Within the next three years, OOH delivery will become the standard baseline option for cross-border e-commerce. Traditional home delivery will morph into a premium, high-cost luxury service.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM): What about the changes happening behind the scenes, inside the fulfillment centers?

Spring GDS Italy (Gabriele Bavera): The integration of advanced robotics, autonomous sorting systems, and artificial intelligence is no longer optional. As regulatory frameworks like the EU's Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) continue to evolve, our networks must process massive amounts of customs data instantly. AI-driven routing algorithms will optimize long-haul transportation lanes in real-time, factoring in border congestion and fuel efficiency.

Furthermore, the very definition of "cross-border" is changing. To meet sustainability targets and minimize carbon footprints, the industry is shifting toward a decentralized fulfillment model. Driven by advanced data analytics, merchants will strategically position their inventory in localized fulfillment hubs across various destination countries before the consumer even places an order. The future of cross-border logistics is not about moving individual packages over thousands of miles at the last minute; it is about utilizing data to predict demand, moving inventory in bulk sustainably, and executing the final delivery over the shortest possible distance.

Jeroen Leenders (CBM):  Fascinating insights. To conclude, it seems the era of simply selling a shipping rate per kilogram is officially over. Success belongs to logistics providers who operate as true strategic partners. Thank you both for your time and for sharing the incredible journey of Spring GDS. 

The post The Evolution of Cross-Border E-Commerce: An Interview with the Voices of Experience within Spring GDS appeared first on Cross-Border Magazine.

Cross-Border Magazine is excited to announce that Spring GDS (Global Delivery Solutions) will be the exclusive partner for our annual Partner Dinner and Award Ceremony. As the international subsidiary of PostNL and the preferred partner of Royal Mail, Spring GDS brings over 20 years of expertise in cross-border shipping and e-commerce logistics to the table.

Spring GDS is renowned for its ability to simplify logistics for e-businesses, offering seamless integration and tailored support that help retailers expand into new markets. With a global reach spanning more than 190 countries and 18 operational hubs across three continents, they deliver over 90 million items each year.

Their commitment to sustainability demonstrated through initiatives like the transition to HVO100 in the European road network and CO2 emission compensation aligns perfectly with the values we uphold at Cross-Border Magazine.

Spring GDS and CBM: A powerful partnership!

Cristina García González-Sama, Director of Marketing Europe at Spring GDS, describes our collaboration as a powerful partnership.

Since 2001, Spring GDS has been a reliable partner for e-commerce businesses worldwide, consistently providing innovative and responsible solutions that cater to local markets with a global perspective. Their unwavering dedication to meeting the needs of the e-commerce community make them an ideal partner for this prestigious event.

We are proud to partner with Spring GDS for our annual Partner Dinner and Award Ceremony and look forward to celebrating the achievements within the e-commerce industry together. This partnership marks a significant step in our shared mission to empower e-retailers to navigate the complexities of cross-border trade.

The post Spring GDS will be CBM's exclusive partner for its 2024 Award Ceremony! appeared first on Cross-Border Magazine.

TradeINN, a sports equipment and apparel e-commerce, has achieved a turnover of more than 500 million euros, representing a 15% growth compared to 2022. 

"2023 was a challenging year due to the global context. The increase, for example, in transport costs (which shot up by 40%) affected us, especially in markets outside Europe, where we had a 5% drop in turnover. However, we have compensated for this with sales in Europe," explains David Martin, CEO and founder of TradeInn, "The truth is that we are very satisfied with the final result, both in terms of turnover and company profits, which is 10% of turnover.

Rising transport costs and an alliance with Spring GDS

According to David Marting, rising transport costs have made specialized logistics companies even more important. "In this respect, we could highlight Spring GDS, with whom we have had a natural partnership for many years. We have jointly opened markets in remote countries, and we have also optimized lines closer to home in Europe. 

Emiliano Vidal, Managing Director of Spring GDS for Southern Europe, said: "Spring GDS is proud to be considered as a partner by TradeINN. We have achieved this thanks to the trust that David mentioned and the efforts of each one of us, so that if there are any difficulties, we can find a solution and prevent the chain from being affected". David Martín corroborates this. "We have experienced this during strikes, changes in marketplaces, or at times of sales peaks above forecasts: the operations teams are in permanent contact seven days a week. It is important to work with partners who keep up with us, with 24/7 operations. Consumers in the UK don't care if it's a holiday or not in Spain, they expect their purchase to be handled as quickly as possible.

Spring industry knowledge was instrumental a couple of years ago; Brexit created a lot of uncertainty in the e-commerce sector, especially regarding logistics. Spring offered us a solution that allowed us to continue selling from day one and to take advantage of this situation to continue growing in this market, as many e-commerce companies had stopped selling to the UK because they didn't know how to do it or didn't have a partner to accompany them through this change".

TradeINN is currently serving more than 20 million customers 

TradeInn currently serves more than 20 million customers in 150 countries, in both hemispheres and has 18 business verticals. This results in a high turnover in demand for different sports products, so there is no one time of the year when sales are far in excess of another but are steady, voluminous, and growing. 

"For example, the high temperatures of recent months have had an impact on product typology: winter sports gave way to other sales drivers such as cycling (BIkeinn), mountain sports (Trekinn), as well as the new vertical that embraces several disciplines (+Sports), such as golf or horse riding. And given the good performance they have had, we do not rule out the possibility of converting the latter into a specific vertical if these sports become very popular", says David Martín.

The post TradeINN turnover is over the 500 million euros mark! appeared first on Cross-Border Magazine.