News / Forwarders eye growing ecommerce – but players want lift, not logistics

Despite increasing opportunities for forwarders in ecommerce, many claim e-tailers don’t need all the services they provide, and specialist partnerships could be sufficient. 

More than one-third of ecommerce players find customs a barrier to success, although three-quarters sell abroad. Customs compliance and delivery are the keys to success in cross-border ecommerce: 96% of businesses said logistics was critical to their sales, according to an Ecommerce Trends: Business report, published today by DHL. 

“But for those not yet selling overseas, cost and complexity remain barriers.” it notes. “44% say delivery is too expensive, 37% say returns costs are too high and 32% want to avoid the hassle of customs.”

It adds: “For some businesses, customs clearance is a real challenge – 17% say it’s the main reason items are returned. 

“Selling overseas means complying with customs regulations and requirements – and getting it right is essential. 54% of global retailers offer delivery duty paid (DDP) when selling overseas, 80% are IOSS-registered and 78% have an EORI number,” it explained. 

And despite the ending of de minimis in the US, volumes have remained healthy, noted Ti’s October report on the transport  and logistics sector, also published today. 

Noting that some express and postal companies had suspended services to the US following the de minimis rule changes, Ti wrote: “Despite this, domestic B2C volumes have remained robust, especially in markets outside the US. The Asia Pacific region and, above all, China will be the growth engine for the global market.” 

It added: “Overcapacity in the Chinese manufacturing sector has resulted in high levels of exports, especially to non-US destinations, as companies look to offload surplus goods on the world markets.” 

Ti noted earlier this year that the global ecommerce and e-fulfilment market was set to expand by 15.5% in 2025. However, the contract logistics market, from which forwarders can launch ecommerce operations, is set to grow more weakly this year, at 3.3%, down from the 3.6% growth last year. 

But while ecommerce players are looking for customs help and capacity, the lack of array of services required can dissuade forwarders from investment in the sector.  

“From a market point of view, I think what has changed dramatically – besides of course the normal geopolitical challenges – is that we have seen a tremendous impact from massive amounts of volumes moved by ecommerce providers today,” said Bruno Sidler, owner Gulflog, at the Caspian Air Cargo Summit last month. 

“That also provides a challenge, because they don’t really need the full scope of services from the freight forwarder, they just need the capacity; they don’t really need the pick-ups, the deliveries or the customs clearances. But they are, by now, probably the biggest customers in terms of capacity.”  

DSV’s global head of airfreight Stefan Krikken agreed. He said: “Ecommerce doesn’t really need a lot of services, it’s more capacity. So I think from a freight forwarding perspective, they’re just a new kid on the block procuring capacity.” 

Thomas Mack, CEO of Thomas Mack Advisors, explained more fully: “Ecommerce basically requires space. That is what they need. That is all they want. A forwarder provides a customer with a complete service. That includes a pick-up, that includes distribution, airfreight, trucking, everything. That is what a forwarder provides. 

“Ecommerce for me is simply a customer that you as a forwarder can provide with capacity if you have some, but in my opinion, the prime focus for a forwarder should always be on the regular industrial customers, whichever political market it is – pharmaceutical, textile, and so on, and so on.   

“And don’t forget, ecommerce is really a one-way street from China to Europe, from China to wherever, but nothing ever comes back. What we do is worldwide. An ecommerce guy cannot feed a global network. He can only feed you out of one point, and it goes into another point.

“So I see a tremendous future for the forwarding industry, and for forwarders if they focus on customer service and if they provide the customer with the product the customer wants and expects.” 

However, there appears to be greater enthusiasm from more specialised forwarders – and via partnerships. Today e-Smart Group announced its incorporation as a partnership between GSSA IAS Inter Aviation Servies, consultancy SASI World and e-Smart Logistics, which provides ecommerce solutions for manufacturers, retailers and airlines. 

And yesterday, Lufthansa Cargo subsidiary CB Customs Broker announced a partnership with Rapid Logistics at Schiphol Airport. On an expandable 1,000 sq metre area, logistics specialist Rapid Logistics will handle cross-border ecommerce shipments, while CB will focus on customs clearance.

While ex-China and South-east Asia to the EU is one of the strongest markets, US–EU flows are said to be steady. Meanwhile, US brands are setting up European hubs to cut transit times and avoid duties.

For forwarders, this means smaller, more frequent shipments, demand for localised warehousing, and hybrid parcel–freight solutions.