This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "E-Commerce Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.eBay has added more countries to its Global Shipping Program (GSP) for sellers located in the UK, reports eCommerce Bytes.The online marketplace added six new countries to the program, after adding 37 countries last month. The recent additions include South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Estonia, and Latvia.The purpose of the program is to make the costs of shipping internationally transparent, so that the consumer is fully aware of the total cost of buying a product from the UK. The GSP breaks down, in detail, the total cost of shipping a package from the UK to the consumers home country. The consumer is shown any additional costs associated with the international shipment before buying, including taxes and duties that may be tacked on by their home country.Some sellers believe that cost transparency within the shipping process makes their items appear too expensive when compared to competitors. But there are benefits for sellers that participate in the programthey simply have to ship their products to a domestic partner of eBay, which will then handle the entire international shipping process.eBay is largely dependent on sales to international consumers. eBays latest earningsrevealed significant growth for the first time in several periodsand the company reported that 62% of its net transaction revenue during the quarter came from international sales. It's clear that eBay is reliant on international revenue to drive its business, which could explain why the company is expanding its Global Shipping Program to better serve international shoppers.The parcel delivery industrya segment of the shipping sector that deals with the transportation of packages to consumersis booming thanks to e-commerce growth, and players outside the industry want a piece of the pie.Evan Bakker, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on the future of shipping that looks at efforts by Amazon, Alibaba, and Walmart to handle more of their own shipping and concludes that big retailers are well positioned to disrupt the parcel industry.Here are some of the key points from the report:Transportation and logistics could be the next billion dollar opportunity for e-commerce companies.The global shipping market, including ocean, air, and truck freight, is a $2.1 trillion market, according toWorld Bank, Boeing, and Golden Valley Co.There is much at stake for legacy shipping companies, which have seen a boom in parcel delivery as e-commerce spending has risen.Twentydifferent partners currently share the duties of shipping Amazon's 600 millionpackages a year,with FedEx, USPS, and UPS moving the most.Amazon, Alibaba, and Walmart have so far focused on building out their last-mile delivery and logistics services but are increasingly going after the middle- and first-mile of the shipping chain.Amazon has already made major moves across each stage of the shipping journey. It launched same-day delivery service, which it handles through its own fleet of carriers, cutting out any third-party shippers. The company also recently began establishing shipping routes between China and North America.Walmart's interest in expanding its transportation and logistics operations is almost purely related to cost-savings. It's begun leasing shipping containers to transport manufactured goods from China and is making greater use of lockers and in-store pickup options to cut down on delivery costs.Alibaba has begun leasing containers on ships, similar to Amazon's Dragon Boat initiative. This means that Alibaba Logistics can now facilitate first-mile shipping for third-party merchants on its marketplace.In full, the report:Sizes the market for the shipping industry.Explains how the industry operates in broad terms.Suggests why major e-commerce retailers should disrupt the space.Outlines the shipping initiatives of Amazon, Walmart, and Alibaba.Concludes how these moves might impacttraditional carriers.Interested in getting the full report' Here are twoways to access it:Subscribe to anAll-Accesspass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensureyou stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally.START A MEMBERSHIPPurchase & download the full report fromour research store.BUY THE REPORTThe choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, youve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the future of shipping.Join the conversation about this story
Click here to read full news..
