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05 Jun 2022

The Ins and Outs of Cross-Border Delivery in the GCC

What is Cross-Border Delivery?

Cross-border delivery occurs when goods are transported from one country to another. The goods go through customs and, depending on trade agreements between the two countries, import duties may have to be paid.  

Companies wishing to expand their business often decide to do so by making their products available in other countries via an international ecommerce service.

Technological advances are making it easier, safer, and more profitable for businesses to move into new markets. Geographical borders are less a barrier and more an opportunity. New markets mean new revenue streams and potentially larger margins.

There are three ways companies can tap into the rapidly expanding growing international ecommerce market, each with varying pros and cons:

·   Establish warehouses in the new countries and ship internally.

·   Deliver orders from a warehouse in the base country across international borders.

·   A combination of both options—establish warehouses as well as ship across borders.

Why Go the Cross-Border Fulfillment Route?

Spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic, ecommerce is growing exponentially. Consumers are trawling through global online sites and discovering how easy it is to make international purchases.

Market research shows that more than 50 percent of online shoppers are ordering items on foreign websites. This trend has opened new channels for revenue generation for retailers everywhere, including in the GCC region.

A UPS survey found that 82 percent of small businesses canvassed in the GCC report that they export either regularly or sporadically.

This cross-border ecommerce can take place between a business and consumers (B2C), or a business and another business (B2B), even a customer and another customer (C2C). In all cases, the seller is in one country, the buyer in another.

As an experienced third-party logistics (3PL) company, Shipa Delivery is well geared to handle this side of sales for small and medium-sized enterprises that typically do not have the resources to cope with an export business.

How Shipa Delivery handles Cross-Border Shipping in the GCC

Thanks to our sprawling fulfillment centers, we can ship thousands of B2C and B2B items daily throughout the UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

We use the following modes of transport for cross-border deliveries:

·   Air: We guarantee space in airlines to make sure urgent orders are delivered on time.

·   Road: We offer Full Truckload (FTL) and Less-than-Truckload (LTL) delivery options.

The Perks of Partnering with Shipa Delivery

We fully understand the difficulties of shipping across borders, which is why we offer our customers the following timesaving and cost-cutting perks:

1. Customs Clearance

Our cross-border delivery service typically includes customs clearance for goods being shifted between the UAE, Kuwait, and/or Saudi Arabia.

2. COD Facilities

COD is offered for cross-border clients to increase their market penetration abroad.

3. Returns

If returns within a domestic setting are complicated and time-consuming, cross-border returns are doubly so. Shipa Delivery takes care of all international returns, giving peace of mind to end-users.

4. On-time Delivery

With fleets of vehicles and teams of deliverers, we strive to deliver on-time every time.

5. Comprehensive SLA

Our service-level agreements are designed to favor our clients and cover aspects such as quality, availability, and speed, and the responsibilities of all parties.

6. Transparent Tracking

Keeping track of goods as they move from one country to another along the supply chain is too complex these days to be left to the traditional pen-and-paper methods. Shipa Delivery’s cutting-edge software allows live and transparent tracking throughout the delivery process.

7. Digital Customer Experience

Our software facilitates a seamless digital experience for our customers, who can connect via API or custom data exchange interfaces (EDI). It allows users to keep track of rates, shipping, pickups, deliveries, and live data from their supply chain partners.

Want to Know More?

Read our comprehensive blog on the advantages and challenges of international ecommerce.

Even better, make contact with our professionals to discover how Shipa Delivery can offer a tailor-made solution to all your cross-border shipping challenges.