As e-commerce technologies develop, parcel logistics processes are being challenged to keep up. Shipping thousands of parcels cross borders requires specialized processes that traditional logistics is unable to provide.
E-commerce Technologies facilitating growth in high-volume international parcels continue to develop. There are a variety of E-commerce technologies are enabling high volume parcel flows.
Shopify and other Online Platforms
Beyond mega sellers led by Amazon are millions of independent sellers who sell directly to consumers. Shopify is a leading platform that facilitates selling, payment and shipping.
Disclaimer: The information in all Jet Worldwide online content, including this post, is for general information only and is not intended to, constitute legal and/or tax advice. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the contents of this site are hereby expressly disclaimed. The content on this posting is provided “as is”; no representations are made that the content is error-free.
Jet Worldwide works with online sellers who wish to ship internationally to major markets including the UK, Japan, France, Germany (and all EU countries) and China.
Cross border on-line ordering and processing
On-line “cloud” solutions continue to evolve to better serve cross border e-commerce shipping. An important element of cross border shipping is capturing all the expected duties and taxes at the time of purchase. Specialized software options now include the ability to calculate all the fees at the time of check out.
A complaint of many e-commerce customers is having unexpected fees when they receive their shipment. Payment of value added tax for orders to the UK and EU are required to be paid at time of purchase by the selling platform.
- Payment of VAT for online orders to the UK
- Payment of VAT for online orders to the EU
- Shipping From Canada
Automated Customs Clearance Processes
For high volume import parcel flows, improved automated processes are being developed tofacilitate customs clearance. For both security and tax collection, government agencies responsible for clearance are increasingly demanding more data and more demanding time schedules to submit the required data.
Automated Customs Clearance Processes to the USA
Update on date requirements for US Customs: ACE is mandated for AMS and ABI. Shippers can take advantage of Section 321 via traditional clearance using type 86 (versus type 11) entry type.
Shipping Management Software
Successful e-commerce companies have multiple carriers and methods of delivery to meet the needs of their customer and ensuring the lowest cost. A leader in the mail solutions, Neopost, has recently purchased a software company who specializes in high volume multi-carrier management for parcels. Such software can help companies manage up to tens of thousands of shipments per day for large national and multinational companies. With cloud technologies, solutions are also being developed for small and medium size shippers as well.
Pitney Bowes and other mail processing experts are applying their high volume postal expertise to parcels.
Mail processing technologies for parcels include:
- Address authentication and correction
- Labeling
- Specialized postal sorting
- Fulfillment technology
Mobile Applications
Mobile applications are a crucial element for e-commerce as most internet access in the developing world is via mobile. Most applications are being written for the the dominant operating system, Android. Mobile applications facilitate e-commerce ordering, payment, tracking, clearance and tracking.
Parcel processing
While technology is a driving force behind the explosion of international e-commerce, the bigger challenge is to improve the physical movement of cross border e-commerce. Even mega carriers UPS, FedEx, USPS and Canada Post could not manage the volumes during the recent peak periods
Sophisticated parcel sorting, processing and tracking technologies are becoming more accessible to small carriers. And with cloud technologies, it is available to carriers in developing economies.
At Jet Worldwide, we look technology as a tool to connect people, parcels and small businesses around the globe. Our specialty is working to improve cross-border clearances and to ensure an order placed thousands of mile away seems as close as next door.
