Cross-border logistics refers to the plan for the effective flow and storage of physical objects and information, with the two sides of the customs as nodes, to implement and control the management process. In the e-commerce environment, goods flow from cross-border e-commerce sellers to cross-border consumers, relying on the Internet, big data, informatization, computers and other advanced technologies, across different countries or regions of logistics activities.
What are the characteristics of cross-border logistics?
1. Unlike domestic freight, cross-border logistics has long distances, long time, and high costs. Not only that, it also involves related issues such as customs clearance in the destination country (handling exit procedures).
2. The development of cross-border logistics is mostly affected by cross-border e-commerce
Cross-border e-commerce is inseparable from cross-border logistics, and the development of cross-border e-commerce has promoted the development of cross-border logistics.
3. Competitiveness is concentrated in the southeast coastal cities, and there is less competition in the central and western regions.
Due to the developed economies of southeast coastal cities such as Bohai, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta, there is a strong demand for cross-border transportation, and the infrastructure such as shipping and air transportation is relatively complete. Therefore, the supply and competition of transportation resources are the most intense. In the central and western regions, due to the relatively inactive economy, low demand for cross-border transportation and high transportation costs, the region has less investment in international freight service resources.
4. There is fierce competition between regions or single industries, and less cross-industry competition among regions.
Although there are many market competitors in the cross-border logistics industry, due to the limitations of its financial strength, management capabilities and technical capabilities, and due to the separation of the national logistics market, its competition is characterized by competition between enterprises in a certain region. For example, the Yangtze River Delta region. Competition between cross-border logistics companies; or competition for customer resources in a certain industry, such as customer resources in the electronics manufacturing industry, while cross-regional and cross-industry competition for customer resources is less.
5. Single service function, fewer value-added services, and more serious homogeneous competition
Most cross-border logistics companies can only provide sea logistics or air logistics services, and can provide multimodal transport (such as sea-air transport) and cross-border logistics companies to meet the different needs of users; when providing cross-border logistics services, limited traditional services such as customs declaration and reservation rarely provide transportation solutions, and improve the design of comprehensive logistics services, so homogeneous competition is more serious.