DHL eCommerce has opened an outbound cross-border Distribution Center located at Tokyo's Narita Airport.
It follows expansion of the unit's activities elsewhere in Asia, but also in other parts of the world, over the past month.
In a statement, the Deutsche Post DHL (DP DHL) Group said the facility “is set to give an extra boost to Japan's booming cross-border e-commerce industry” which is growing at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 16% and estimated to exceed EUR1.1 billion in 2018.”
The centre will “enable Japan's online merchants to sell directly to some of the hottest e-commerce destinations worldwide,” it added.
"In Japan, SMEs and sellers on marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay are the main cross-border e-commerce players, targeting markets in Europe, Asia and the Americas. To enable them to grow their business and reach a wider customer base internationally, they need a greater variety of international shipping solutions with high quality services while keeping their operational costs low. Specific e-commerce services are also needed, such as IT integration from shopping cart to delivery for a seamless logistics process," said Yoshihiko Sasaki, Managing Director, DHL eCommerce Japan.
DP DHL underlined that with an estimated cross-border e-commerce value of US$40.8 billion (€38.5 billion), the US is one of the top export destinations for Japan's e-commerce products. Europe also presents “a tremendous opportunity” for Japanese e-tailers. There are currently 303.1 million digital buyers in the region and total e-commerce sales volume has hit $370.3 billion (€349.4 billion).
To help “e-tailers seamlessly deliver from Japan to the world,” DHL offers both time and range definite international shipping options with end-to-end tracking, from premium services by DHL Express to cost-effective solutions from DHL eCommerce.
With the new Distribution Center, DHL eCommerce will introduce a new range of international shipping products to Europe, the US and the UK to cater to varying customer requirements. The DHL eCommerce Web Portal enables e-tailers to seamlessly integrate their orders into the DHL network by preparing orders for shipping individually or in bulk, track and generate reports all from a single portal, the statement noted.
"The power of e-commerce lies in its ability to break physical barriers. E-commerce companies are not limited by geographical borders and have the flexibility to offer services and products to a huge base of customers globally. By combining the deep understanding of the Japanese market which DHL has, with DHL's global network and expertise in over 220 countries and territories, we are in a good position to enable Japanese online merchants to grow their business in the international market," added Sasaki.
At the end of last month, DHL eCommerce annnounced the launch of a new commercial product which enables Singapore-based customers, including online and traditional retailers, to ship to US consumers at a low cost. The previous week, the unit announced plans to further increase its presence in South China through the introduction of its e-commerce logistics services in the Fujian province.
Also last month, DHL eCommerce launched a new Fulfilment Center in Hong Kong “to reach over 500 million online shoppers across the Asia Pacific region and add to its global fulfilment network in the US, Mexico, India, Europe and Australia.” It is also planning to expand its Shenzhen Distribution Center this year.
Meanwhile, in North America, DHL eCommerce recently broadened its e-commerce order fulfillment service available for merchants with the expansion of facilities in Columbus (Ohio) and Riverside (California).
