Key market Solutions
Through our annually conducted studies of the development of e-commerce, we have gained deep knowledge of consumer behavior and general conditions for e-commerce in many different markets. And although e-commerce is growing at an impressive rate in many countries around the world, there are some markets and regions that have developed in a particularly interesting way. To meet this accelerating demand, we have put together additional
solutions which adapt to each country´s and region´s own situation. Our offer includes custom clearance and delivery options depending on weight, value and specific commercial needs. For the following key markets we offer our specially adapted solutions:
The Australian e-commerce market
With one of the largest online populations in the Asia-Pacific region, and along with its stable economy, Australia is helping the global e-commerce market to positively develop. Out of 20 million inhabitants over 15 years of age, 65% are online consumers. Approximately 70% of total online consumers purchase from abroad. This makes Australia’s share of cross-border shoppers among the world’s largest.
The average Australian online consumer is tech-savvy and digitally mature. Close to 30% of smart phone and tablet users have made online purchases via their devices – 49% of Australians own more than five devices such as computers, smart phones and tablets.
Reasons for cross-border purchases
Australia has a tax exemption on foreign purchases up to a value of AUD 1,000 making it possible to find online bargains overseas. A good price is a strong argument. Apart from the latter, getting good deals, better availability and a bigger range of products abroad, are what Australians say are reasons for buying cross-border. Currently, the US, the UK and China are the most favored overseas markets.
The dominant e-commerce overseas categories are Books, CDs, Clothing & Footwear, Digital Cameras and Cosmetics.
Delivery, Returns and Payment
Australian online consumers accept that cross-border deliveries will have a longer delivery time. But on the other hand, they are quite sensitive to costs associated with delivery. Most cross-border consumers expect low-cost delivery as well as free returns.
Regarding online payment methods, around 85% of Australian online consumers prefer to pay with credit and debit cards.
E-commerce companies from the northern hemisphere should also consider counter-seasonality from both a marketing communication and product perspective.
Key Statistics
Population: 24 million
Language: English
Currency: Dollar (AUD)
GDP: USD 1.24 trillion
Internet Penetration: 85%
Delivery, Returns and Payment
Our Australian Key Market Solution allows you to send trackable parcels to residential and business addresses anywhere in Australia. From small packets to large parcels, we can reach 100% of the country’s physical addresses as well as post office boxes and parcel lockers.
For your customer’s convenience, we offer the option to include a signature confirmation upon receipt of the parcel. Alternatively, if preferred, parcels can be left in a safe location at the delivery address. For residential deliveries, if a signature is required and no one is home to sign for the parcel, a calling card will be left in your customer’s letterbox advising the nearby collection point where they can sign for and collect their parcel.
You can track the entire progress of your parcel online
Maximum parcel weight up to 22 kg
Maximum single length of 105 cm and a maximum cubic volume of 0.25 m3
Delivery time depends on which country the parcels are originating from. Once injected into the local Australian delivery network, parcels will normally be delivered within 1-3 days, for metropolitan areas, and within 3–6 days for regional and far rural areas
Signature upon delivery or
Post office box and postal parcel locker delivery
With our easy-to-use software or web tools, you can print shipping documents and create electronic advance notifications. You can also produce reports for monitoring and following up
Local return location for any undeliverable parcels. Return reporting
Make it easy for your customers to return parcels without having to pay. By providing your customer with a return shipping label and instructions, the returned item can be dropped at one of nearly 20,000 drop-off points. At our local return handling location, we provide tracking updates of received parcels as well as reports to help you manage your customers’ returns
BRAZIL – A HUGE AND FAST-GROWING E-COMMERCE MARKET
Brazil is the largest economy in South America. It is also the leading e-commerce market. In fact, globally, the Brazilian e-commerce market is the 9th largest. And while its gross domestic product declined in recent years, it’s still the market selected by cross-border retailers who want to establish themselves in South America. Brazil’s e-commerce market is projected to increase substantially over the next few years and is forecasted to reach over USD 29 billion by 2018.
Big market players already established
Companies coming from the US and China are the largest e-commerce merchandisers so far – selling their goods to the estimated 40% of Brazilian online consumers who make cross-border purchases. Their main product categories are Fashion & Accessories and Home Electronics.
Consumer Behavior
The number of online consumers is still relatively low compared to the total number of inhabitants yet the figures are steadily rising – today’s approximately 37 million online shoppers are expected to rise to 47 million within two years.
The search for attractive prices characterizes the consumer behavior in this market. Value for money is highly prioritized and Brazilian consumers in general are partial to price over delivery speed. The most preferred payment method is by far credit cards. It is very common practice to split payments by credit cards into multiple installments.
Key Statistics
Population: 205 million
Language: Portuguese
Currency: Brazilian Real (BRL)
GDP: USD 1.77 billion
Internet Penetration: 65%
THE EUROPEAN E-COMMERCE MARKET
The larger e-commerce markets in northern and central Europe are highly developed. On the other hand, markets in the south and east have lagged somewhat, but are starting to catch up. Countries such as Spain, Italy and Poland are quickly increasing their Internet penetration – these up-and-coming e-commerce markets are definitely promising.
The most preferred online product categories in Europe are Clothing & Footwear, Home Electronics, Books, and Media Products. In recent years, there has been an increase in Cosmetics and Home Furnishing products.
THE ISRAELI E-COMMERCE MARKET
Despite its modest population (8.2 million), Israel is an interesting e-commerce market. This is especially true from a cross-border perspective and is due to certain domestic circumstances.
The number of Israeli businesses selling online are few – with prices that are usually substantially higher than those of cross-border retailers. This is because of high value-added taxes (VAT) as well as monopolies on numerous consumer goods. Nearly 80% of Israeli online shoppers have bought products from abroad, predominantly from China, the UK and the US.
High Growth Projections
Between 2009 and 2014, e-commerce in Israel showed a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of close to 25% which was more than double the global growth rate. E-commerce revenue in Israel is forecasted to reach USD 3.6 billion in 2016 and rise to USD 4.9 billion in 2020.
Israel is a fairly-digitalized country with a 75% Internet penetration and a smartphone market of over 60%. The dominant e-commerce categories in Israel are Home Electronics, Fashion & Footwear and Media Products. Housewares and groceries are also popular to buy online.
Israel’s official languages are Hebrew and Arabic. However, a clear majority of the population speaks and reads English. Communicating in Hebrew or Arabic is not considered necessary.
Delivery and Payment Options
The Israeli Post has around 1,000 service points for consumers who choose to pick up their online purchases. There are also a number of companies offering home delivery as well.
A majority of Israeli online consumers prefer to pay for their purchases by credit or debit card. The second most popular payment method is e-wallet services such as PayPal.
Key Statistics
Population: 8.2 million
Languages: Hebrew, Arabic, English
Currency: Shekel (NIS)
GDP: USD 286 billion
Internet Penetration: 75%
THE RUSSIAN E-COMMERCE MARKET
Russia is one of the world’s most populous countries with close to 144 million inhabitants – making it a potentially large e-commerce market. Russia has lagged behind most European countries in terms of Internet penetration but has been catching up in recent years; it currently has an estimated 70% usage. Around 84 million Russians over 16 years old are using the Internet. However, there are regional differences with the larger cities being far ahead of rural areas. The online e-commerce market represents approximately 4% of the total Russian retail market.
Currency fluctuation no strain for e-sales
There is an assumption that the negative trend of the country’s currency, the Russian ruble, has somewhat hampered cross-border growth. However, foreign retailers’ online sales to Russia have grown considerably over the past few years. The cross-border market was believed to reach USD 4.3 billion in 2016 – a growth of 25% compared to 2015.
Cosmetics, Clothes & Footwear, Books and Home Electronics are popular online product categories. The most popular cross-border market is China though this could be due to the currently weak position of the ruble together with China’s low prices.
Popular Payment Options
The average Russian online consumer tends to be a bit wary towards new or unknown brands. For new entrants establishing themselves in the Russian market, it is highly recommended to translate their web sites into Russian. As in most other markets, it is also advisable to offer a variety of payment methods. Though the use of credit and debit cards is increasing, many Russian online customers still prefer cash on delivery (COD) which in most other markets is very unusual today.
In terms of preferred delivery options, home delivery is most chosen. However, many online consumers also like to collect their wares from service points and retail stores. The local post office is also a popular alternative. One thing that should be noted is that over 60% of Russian online buyers state that they regard high delivery costs as an obstacle for their online purchases. A low price or better yet free delivery would be an effective argument for cross-border retailers to use in order for the purchase to go through.
Key Statistics
Population: 143 million
Language: Russian
Currencies: Ruble (RUB)
GDP: USD 1.35 trillion
Internet Penetration: 70%
