According to relevant data, although cross-border e-commerce is still developing rapidly, the growth rate has slowed down. However, the country’s policy support and related consumer demand are still growing, so cross-border e-commerce is bound to continue to achieve leapfrog development, and the logistics industry closely related to it will also usher in new challenges and opportunities.
So, what changes will occur in the relevant logistics industry in the next few years?
1. Cross-border e-commerce logistics faces industry reshuffle
With the continuous improvement of living standards, consumers’ consumption needs have shown a trend of diversification and personalization. Cross-border e-commerce, which has been widely known since 2014, can just meet these needs of consumers. Coupled with the country’s policy inclination towards it, the development of this market is becoming increasingly popular.
Nowadays, after a period of rapid development, this market has shown a staged saturation state. Only under the influence of new policies and market dynamics in the future can consumer demand be released again. Low-priced imported goods cannot guarantee quality, and counterfeit goods and fakes are rampant, which has repeatedly cooled consumers’ enthusiasm for overseas shopping, which is also an important reason affecting the growth rate of the industry.
It has to be admitted that with the continuous development of this industry, the right of choice has gradually shifted to the hands of consumers. As mentioned above, consumers’ consumption needs are becoming more and more diversified and personalized, and their requirements for consumer experience will also become higher and higher. Then, the cross-border logistics industry related to it will inevitably present a state of survival of the fittest and face a new reshuffle.
2. Cross-border e-commerce giants and small and medium-sized platform logistics systems continue to coexist
In the field of cross-border e-commerce, large comprehensive platforms such as Alibaba and JD.com are growing day by day, and those small and medium-sized platforms that focus on niche markets are also growing. The closely related logistics industry has also correspondingly differentiated, that is, the self-built logistics of large comprehensive platforms and the third-party comprehensive service logistics of small and medium-sized platforms.
The self-built logistics of large platforms will undoubtedly impact the inherent system of the logistics industry and promote the establishment of a new order in the industry. This change will make third-party logistics do everything possible to avoid direct competition with industry giants and find another way to survive. In this way, the division of labor within the industry will be further concretized, and the two will maintain a coexistence situation for some time in the future.
3. The rise of third-party logistics integrated service bodies
Although several industry giants have occupied a very favorable market share, the cross-border e-commerce pie is really tempting, and more and more small and medium-sized platforms have squeezed in with the help of the market segmentation. However, small and medium-sized platforms have limited energy and can only focus on product sales and customer maintenance, and logistics can only rely on third-party service platforms. There are quite a few such small and medium-sized platforms, so third-party platforms that can provide such services have become “hot”.
Of course, the services that third-party platforms can provide are not limited to the conventional services provided by logistics. In addition to providing commodity warehousing, transportation and other services, they can also provide a series of value-added services, such as information integration, procurement, financing, etc.
4. The professional requirements for cross-border e-commerce logistics talents are getting higher and higher
Against the above background, the talents needed in the cross-border e-commerce logistics industry have also undergone great changes, and are changing from traditional extensive to professional intensive. Whether it is self-built logistics or third-party integrated logistics, the demand for talents in the future will definitely increase, and the requirements for professionalism will also become higher and higher. From the perspective of the enterprise, this is a necessity to control costs; from the perspective of the industry, it is a development trend. Now many companies are working on the introduction of talents and the implementation of talent training plans.