PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - March 16, 2010) - Shipwire™, a leading provider of outsourced product fulfillment, announced today an initiative to help small and midsize online merchants grow overseas sales. Shipwire launched new tools and guides, available at http://www.shipwire.com/GlobalGrowth, to help merchants learn how grow exports while cutting shipping costs by utilizing outsourced order fulfillment as an alternative to expensive international shipping. http://www.shipwire.com/GlobalGrowth
The Internet has become the great equalizer in global sales, and has allowed SMBs to compete with larger competitors. Generally speaking, only established merchants get big discounts on international shipping from carriers -- sometimes in excess of 50 percent.(1) Therefore, despite the incredible opportunity for sales abroad, SMBs are instead put at a competitive disadvantage, and international shipping costs ultimately become a barrier to international growth for the small seller. A November 2009 article in Inc. indicates that in the United States, for example, SMBs account for a mere 29 percent of all U.S. exporting volume -- a number lower today than it was 10 years ago.(2) This data -- presumably echoed in other markets around the world -- is surprising given that the Internet and web-delivered software allow small exporters to reach lucrative international markets, assuming they know how to efficiently reach overseas markets.
Shipwire is integrated with most leading e-commerce store software, marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay and payment services like PayPal's global payment service, which allows international purchases to be made from 190 countries and 24 currencies. For merchants who store a portion of their inventory with Shipwire in any of the company's warehouses around the world, each time an order closes, Shipwire will automatically pick, pack and ship to the buyer. Shipwire can help merchants reduce shipping costs and ensure international buyers get product faster and with lower shipping costs when compared with international shipping.
"Today's online buyer wants to receive products quickly and at a reasonable shipping cost. Merchants that leverage Shipwire can cut international shipping costs by as much as 75 percent and ensure that overseas buyers get orders quickly," said Damon Schechter, CEO of Shipwire.com and best-selling author of Delivering the Goods. "Today's entrepreneurial manufacturer or niche retailer can attract a global following by focusing their sales efforts and providing great customer support, which requires automated product delivery at low cost with fast product delivery."
SMBs are now provided the same global opportunities as their bigger competitors due to the SMB e-commerce landscape. Globalization is upon them and the number one SMB trend in 2010 is a global integrated future where small business will take advantage of cheap access to tools anywhere, anytime, to get the job done.(3)
Like numerous small business owners, Andrew Simmons, Founder of Thoughtfish Media, noted that Shipwire enabled him to grow his 2-person business to deliver product worldwide. As the No. 1 seller of artisan beadwork and tile design software, Simmons stated that before using Shipwire, 50% of his international shipments were unsuccessful, and never reached their destination. "Now, Shipwire automates the shipping process for me," Simmons said, "and has allowed me to grow sales in Canada and Western Europe as well as other countries." Visit http://www.shipwire.com/GlobalGrowth for more examples of small businesses expanding overseas.
Today, there are examples of SMB online market growth in the U.S. and the expectation is for it to only continue due to globalization and the adoption of technology platforms. Some examples include:
U.S.
- By 2014 the size of the U.S. e-commerce market is estimated to hit almost $250 billion, up from $155 billion in 2009. E-commerce will keep growing at a 10 percent CAGR and sales will represent 8 percent of all retail in the U.S., up from 6 percent in 2009. [Forrester Report, U.S. Online Retail Forecast, 2009 To 2014]
- U.S. retail e-commerce spending (excluding travel) for November - December holiday season was up 4% versus a year ago to $29.1 billion [January 6, 2010, comScore]
- Three product categories (computers, apparel, and consumer electronics) represented more than 44 percent of online sales ($67.6 billion) in 2009
In the UK, there are examples of SMB online market growth and the expectation is for it to only continue due to globalization and the adoption of technology platforms. Some examples include:
- With more than one in two UK consumers shopping online -- that is about 28 million consumers -- online shopping and travel booking are mainstream. By 2014, 37 million UK online buyers will spend £56 billion. [UK Online Retail and Travel Forecast, 2008 to 2014, March 2009, Forrester Group]
- 2009 holiday spending represented a 24% upward growth over the previous year or 8.9
- Office of National Statistics data demonstrates that UK Merchants export trading is increasing year over year with non-EU countries.(4)
For more information, please visit http://www.shipwire.com/GlobalGrowth. To begin a free trial, please visit www.shipwire.com/trial.
About Shipwire (http://www.shipwire.com)
Shipwire, the leader in e-commerce order fulfillment services, effectively eliminates the hassle of storage and shipping for growing merchants with a global warehouse network and its innovative Store-Sell-Ship™ platform. Shipwire's warehouses -- in Los Angeles, Reno, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver and London -- are conveniently located close to buyers, drastically reducing merchants' shipping costs. Shipwire is the only warehouse logistics service that instantly integrates with shopping carts and inventory management systems. Shipwire is developer- and partner-friendly; learn more about our shipping affiliate partner program or get our how to outsource order fulfillment guide at http://www.shipwire.com/partner. Stay up to date with our shipping fulfillment distribution blog. Print online USPS postage. For a free trial or more information, contact 1-888-SHIPWIRE or visit http://www.shipwire.com/trial.
1. "Special Delivery: Bringing SMBs Into the Global Shipping Network," January 4, 2008, Ecommerce Times
2. "How to Start Selling Internationally," November 1, 2009, Inc.
3. "10 Predictions, Forecasts and Trends That Will Shape Our Global Small Business World in 2010," January 12, 2010, Small Business Trends
4. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1119 For November of 2009. Non-EU exports rose by £1.4 billion (5.7 per cent) to £26.6 billion. Total exports were broadly unchanged at £38.8 billion
Contact Information:
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Nate Gilmore
Shipwire
press@shipwire.com
888-Shipwire
Ashley Wilkinson
BOCA Communications
ashley@bocacommunications.com
+1-415-738-7718 x4