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~ PARCEL.ONE ~

Selling and shipping products internationally sounds like the perfect business idea: You
can reach more customers, increase your sales and grow your enterprise. The trend should
therefore reflect that, but it doesn’t – why? The reason a lot of retailers are cautious to expand
across borders are the various hurdles of international shipping.
Every country has their specific requirements, rules and shipping

companies.

or the individual retailer to get an overview service providers know
of these requires a lot of research, which what their clientele
Fin turn makes international shipping a requires. They offer
hassle. Ambitious shop operators certainly invest exactly those options
a lot of energy, passion, sweat and tears in their that are favoured in
internationalisation strategy – there is no other way. their specific region
However, in addition to the correct and country- or country. What
specific translation of the web shop, the cultural also comes into play
and social characteristics of the target market here is that customers MICHA AUGSTEIN
should always be taken into account and adapted. recognize these local FOUNDER AND CEO
Customer-orientated delivery logistics as a unique services. While the big PARCEL.ONE
selling point can certainly be a significant selection brown UPS trucks might
criterion. What is needed for that is a well-planned be a known sight in the USA, European customers are
shipping concept. more familiar with local carriers.
This is where PARCEL.ONE comes in and makes
the retailers’ lives easier. As a logistics enterprise that The nuances of which options to offer are well known
specializes in international shipping, we not only know the to the local service providers, whereas the international
best carrier options for every country, but we also take care companies might not be as aware. Incidentally, the local
of the whole process for you. From storage to pick & pack carriers are faster and more affordable a lot of the time.
or cross-docking, PARCEL.ONE offers a solution for all Multi-carriers therefore rely on the expertise of these local
needs and does so in a cooperative manner: Whatever the partners.
retailer needs in order to successfully ship internationally,
there is a solution. • International tracking
Another challenge has – again – to do with customers,
So, let’s take a look at what the typical hurdles and risks but also retailers: Geo-tracking the package is essential to
in cross-border shipping are and what can be done to ensure safe delivery. And it is a service that customers have
overcome them. come to expect. They want to know where their package is
currently at, as well as when they should plan for it to be
The biggest challenges of international shipping delivered. However, most carriers can only update the data
within the borders of their country. Once the package has
• Last mile & delivery logistics crossed these borders live-tracking is no longer available, to
The first challenge has to do with the expectations of the the dismay of customer and retailer.
customer. The online shopper has a lot of criteria on what
constitutes a successful purchase. And the delivery process Certain multi-carriers can combat this issue with a single
makes up a large part of this. While some might discount fixed tracking number. PARCEL.ONE for example, works
the importance of this point, it has been shown that if with just a single label for the entire delivery route.
customers are not satisfied with the options presented to
them, they will simply move on to another online shop. So, This is sensible and efficient: Once labelled, the tracking
what makes a delivery successful? number remains the same for all cooperation partners
involved, even for interstate shipments, and the package
The touchpoints that the customer comes into contact can be traced throughout the whole shipping process. And
with are the most crucial part – the actual delivery. with the demands of the customers a qualified tracking
Here, the “local delivery heroes” play a role. These are system is more than just nice to have, it is a necessity.
the carriers the customers are familiar with since they
operate locally in their area. Giant carriers like DHL or • Cost-intensive shipping quantities
UPS might be the frontrunners internationally, but local For retailers, shipping alone is not the only cost-intensive

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