Leading global logistics provider UPS (NYSE: UPS) has announced acollaboration with trade and e-commerce consultancy professionalsGlobal Brand Inc. to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)in Japan reach more overseas customers via the world’s leadingonline marketplaces.
The collaboration combines Global Brand Inc.’s comprehensiveknowledge of the top e-commerce shopping platforms, includingAmazon, eBay and Lazada, with UPS’s world-renowned cross-bordershipping and logistics expertise to provide SMBs in Japan aholistic suite of essential solutions to help drive internationalbusiness growth.
According to the 2019 UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper study,which takes a closer look at the purchasing habits of the world’se-commerce buyers, 96% of consumers are already regularly active ononline marketplaces. Sales through online marketplaces currentlyaccount for over half of cross-border e-commerce purchases1 andcross-border online sales are expected to make up more than 20% ofglobal e-commerce by 2022.
“The vast majority of businesses in Japan are small andmedium-sized, so when we consider the speed at which e-commerce isdeveloping, and that global cross-border e-commerce sales areexpected to be worth $1 trillion this year, there is huge growthpotential in this sector for Japanese companies,” said Daryl Tay,President of UPS Japan.
“This partnership with Global Brand Inc. is particularlybeneficial to SMBs whose resources are often more limited thanthose of large companies. Online sellers can tap into UPS’s smartglobal logistics network for reliable international door-to-doordelivery and value-added services including delivery solutions suchas UPS My Choice that improve customer experience by providing endusers the choice and control over how and where they want toreceive their package. Passing all this heavy lifting over to UPSmeans our customers can then spend more time growing theirbusiness.”
Global Brand has supported many Japanese businesses looking toexpand to international marketplaces, advising them on productdevelopment and marketing to overseas customers, and offers aproprietary international shipping platform specialized forcross-border e-commerce. UPS, as one of Global Brand’s recommendedshipping partners, provides the full range of logistics servicesincluding pickup, shipping, tracking, delivery and much more.
“Small and medium-sized businesses are an integral part of theJapanese economy, but currently only 13% of them are active incross-border e-commerce,” said Takahiro Yamada, CEO of Global BrandInc.
“By partnering with UPS, we can help remove some of the perceivedbarriers to entry into the world of global e-commerce anddemonstrate to SMBs in Japan that cross-border business can offerboth a simple and potentially lucrative new revenue stream.”
As part of the cooperation, UPS and Global Brand also plan tocollaborate in trade shows and webinars to promote cross-bordertrade to small businesses across the country.