Package Shippers Eye Cross-Border Ecommerce As Key Emerging Market - Wall Street Journal
Big package shipping companies like FedEx Corp. (FDX) and United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) are forecasting a surge in international online retailing while working to avoid pitfalls that, for some, turned explosive growth in U.S. ecommerce into a low-margin commodity delivery business.
Cross-border ecommerce is expected to account for more than half of the online retail sector within two years, but an estimated 50% of U.S. retailers do not currently sell anything internationally over the Internet.
"The world is buying more online, so it's a huge opportunity for us," said Kate Gutmann, president of worldwide sales at UPS, which launched a global ad campaign--and now-ubiquitous jingle--last September around its logistics offerings for small and medium-sized businesses.
Big package shipping companies like FedEx Corp. (FDX) and United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) are forecasting a surge in international online retailing while working to avoid pitfalls that, for some, turned explosive growth in U.S. ecommerce into a low-margin commodity delivery business.
Cross-border ecommerce is expected to account for more than half of the online retail sector within two years, but an estimated 50% of U.S. retailers do not currently sell anything internationally over the Internet.
"The world is buying more online, so it's a huge opportunity for us," said Kate Gutmann, president of worldwide sales at UPS, which launched a global ad campaign--and now-ubiquitous jingle--last September around its logistics offerings for small and medium-sized businesses.
