of the United Kingdom’s capitol city.
You Can Navigate Global eCommerce – With the Right Tools
By the end of 2028, worldwide eCommerce sales are expected to reach about $7.9 billion, according to Emarketer. Despite sales softness in key markets like China,1 the cross-border commerce opportunity is vast, especially considering emerging countries like India.2
Cross-border commerce is integral to the modern eCommerce experience—and it is central to brand growth. But with these new opportunities come new challenges, especially as a slew of new (and ever-changing) tariff rates and rules emerge.
Shoppers are discovering global brands as they venture across touchpoints, and they expect to be able to not just engage but buy from these brands at a moment’s notice.
With economic uncertainty growing in the US, now is the time for merchants to seek alternative paths to growth. In fact, the National Retail Federation (NRF) expects retail sales to grow a modest 2.7% to 3.7% this year due to “significant policy uncertainty…weighing on consumer and business confidence,” according to NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.4
In this age of tariff turmoil, there are new rules for not just surviving, but thriving, in the global eCommerce climate. Merchants can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines, but there are new requirements and costs to consider depending on where and how you want to grow.
Mapping New Growth Opportunities
Predicted eCommerce compound annual growth rates (CAGR) through 2030 reveal new growth opportunities for retailers of all sizes.5
Now is the time to level up your cross-border commerce operations and logistics, and ensure you have the systems in place to respond to new tariffs and maintain tax compliance.
If you’re ready to enable business without borders,
follow these five must-know secrets to success…
5 Secrets to Navigating a New Cross-Border Climate:
Does Your Tech Stack Really Stack Up? Optimize Your Tools So They Work Better Together
As businesses grow, they must configure their tech stacks to power the relevant, engaging, and seamless experiences shoppers now expect. While there is a vibrant and ever-growing sector of new tools, solutions, and applications to choose from, merchants are left spending a lot of time, energy, and capital managing their back-end operations.
In fact, more than half (51%) of merchant leaders say they’re trapped in a maze of disconnected tools. On average, they’re managing five or more disparate solutions, which means they have at least:
Increasingly complex tech stacks make silos inevitable. Fragmented data and insights create “blind spots” that inhibit growth, while disconnected systems create preventable bumps in the customer experience that ultimately drive shoppers away. These pain points are especially felt for brands with global supply chains: 75% of non-grocery retailers say access to real-time supply chain data is central to their decision-making.6
Technological friction isn’t just an internal headache for your team to manage. It is an economic drain that has a profound impact on your brand experience. An all-in-one platform can connect all operations and logistics, making it a catalyst for your global growth.
Tariff Turmoil: Navigate Changing Global Trade Policies to Protect Your Bottom Line
Tariffs are ever-changing. New guidelines are constantly being revealed and updated. As of the writing of this piece, President Trump has eliminated the duty-free de minimis loophole for imports valued under $800 (per person, per day) from China, beginning May 2, 2025. This new development adds to the already-existing 145% tariff on some goods entering the US from China.7
Tariff Rates by Country and Product Scope
*The reciprocal tariffs do not apply in the following circumstances:
Goods loaded onto a vessel at the port of loading and in transit on the final mode of transport before the reciprocal tariffs take effect will not be subject to the baseline or country-specific ad valorem tariffs (as applicable). Articles and derivatives of steel and aluminum that are already subject to Section 232 tariffs are excluded. Automobiles and automobile parts that are subject to Section 232 tariffs at the time of import are excluded. Additional articles listed in Annex II to the executive order, including copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber articles, certain critical minerals, and energy and energy products, are excluded. On April 11, President Trump expanded Annex II to include additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) headings and subheadings covering smartphones, computers, and other electronics.
But the conversation is ever-evolving, and other countries central to global supply chains are also impacted,8 creating an incredibly volatile market for merchants. Up to 53% of executives expect the consequences of tariffs to persist for more than three years, which leaves 83% to believe that regulatory shifts could threaten their survival.
Now is the time for merchants to design, and implement, their action plans to ensure their compliance and customer experiences remain in good standing. After all, in this current climate, the two work hand in hand: 71% of consumers expect upfront clarity around product costs, which means unexpected fees are likely to drive cart abandonment.9
Redefine cross-border commerce through tactical innovation:
The right technology partners not only understand global tariff complexities; they have the features and capabilities you need to navigate them effectively.
The Global Market: Your Borderless Business Frontier
Focusing solely on local markets is an obsolete strategy of a bygone era. Consumers expect to be able to buy anything, from anywhere, at any time, which means you must enable commerce everywhere.
Nearly four in five executives are architecting their cross-border breakthrough so they can seize new growth opportunities. The task at the top of their list? Tackle interoperability.
In a survey conducted by Swap in partnership with Wakefield Research, eCommerce executives revealed that their most pressing international expansion challenges related to order management, logistics, and fulfillment:
Swap your convoluted ecosystem of tools, software, platforms, and solutions for an all-in-one platform that can empower you to scale. When systems work in tandem, data and insights can flow seamlessly through the business, which makes serving global customers a breeze.
Centering the Customer Experience Makes for Better Business
Consumers may be more open to browsing and buying from brands outside their home country, but brands with a small (and growing) global presence must focus on adhering to the fundamentals of a trustworthy customer experience. According to IMRG,10 that means prioritizing three key things:
With Trump’s April 2nd Executive Order, Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) is now a requirement for import goods going into the US. The order states that "carriers transporting these postal items must report shipment details to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), maintain an international carrier bond to ensure duty payment, and remit duties to CBP on a set schedule.11 As a seller, that means you must report duties collected upon shipment of the item.
Items traveling from the US to international destinations can still be shipped with duties collected upon landing and before being delivered to the customer—a term known as Delivery Duty Unpaid (DDU). While the seller is responsible for ensuring the safe delivery of goods to a destination country, the buyer would be responsible for any import duties, taxes, and customs clearance fees. Certainly not a seamless or transparent way to collect fees or deliver items.
Although customers can now receive their purchases without incurring additional costs, you must manage the administrative process to ensure the delivery experience is quick and easy. That is how you create a customer experience that builds trust, generates repeat business, and drives brand referrals—your most potent competitive algorithm.
eCommerce Evolved: How Swap's Full-Suite of Operations Tools Work Smarter, Not Harder
Even small and scrappy brands have the power to operate at an enterprise level. Swap’s global network manages cross-border operations and logistics through a single dashboard.
From inventory management, to shipping, to returns, Swap helps 500+ global brands achieve critical interoperability and capture the 30% efficiency invisible to the analog mind.
The growing global eCommerce market presents seismic growth opportunities—but it also unloads significant complexities. For emerging businesses, these complexities can weigh heavily on their operations and hinder their potential.
With smart, streamlined operations and an all-in-one solution to manage taxes, duties, and tariffs, you can keep pace with the ever-changing regulatory climate and ensure a stellar customer experience for all.
Enter Swap: Your Global eCommerce Lifeline
Swap isn’t just a solution provider—we’re a global growth partner that can help you cut through the complexity of international expansion. Our end-to-end platform helps Shopify merchants unlock new markets by providing:
- Global shipping simplified - Ship through your existing warehouses or 3PL partners, but we’ll take care of managing cross-border compliance.
- Automated tax remittance - We handle all tax and duty collection so you can focus on running your business. We’ll even handle all global tax filing and duty drawbacks for you.
- Express customs clearance - We’ll ensure all goods legally enter and exit countries, so your customers get the products they want as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
- Full cost transparency - Customers have full transparency into any added costs, from shipping to prepaid duties and taxes. No surprise costs that create friction and damage trust.
- Seamless customer experiences - Swap works as an importer of record solution to ensure maximum flexibility for customer payment options.
- Tariff compliance and mitigation support - Navigate tariffs like an enterprise brand. With Clear by Swap Global, duties are assessed on the fair market value of goods, not on the final retail price, so you can lessen the financial burden.
Swap is the EcommerceOS for Shopify brands designed with the global market in mind. Our brands save 30% on their operations just by switching to our single solution. Book a demo to learn how.
Citations:
1. Emarketer, Worldwide Retail eCommerce Forecast, 2025. https://www.emarketer.com/content/worldwide-retail-ecommerce-forecast-2025
2. Statista, eCommerce retail sales CAGR 2025-2029, by country. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/220177/b2c-e-commerce-sales-cagr-forecast-for-selected-countries
3. DHL, 2024 Cross-Border Report. https://www.dhl.com/global-en/microsites/ec/ecommerce-insights/insights/reports/2024-cross-border-report.html
4. National Retail Federation, 2025 State of the Consumer. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-forecasts-2025-retail-sales-to-hit-5-42-trillion-despite-economic-uncertainty
5. Statista, eCommerce retail sales CAGR 2025-2029, by country. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/220177/b2c-e-commerce-sales-cagr-forecast-for-selected-countries
9. IPC, Cross-Border Shopper Survey. https://www.ipc.be/services/markets-and-regulations/cross-border-shopper-survey
10. IMRG. https://www.imrg.org/blog/top-cross-border-ecommerce-trends-in-2024/
11. White House Fact Sheet. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-closes-de-minimis-exemptions-to-combat-chinas-role-in-americas-synthetic-opioid-crisis/
You Can Navigate Global eCommerce – With the Right Tools
By the end of 2028, worldwide eCommerce sales are expected to reach about $7.9 billion, according to Emarketer. Despite sales softness in key markets like China,1 the cross-border commerce opportunity is vast, especially considering emerging countries like India.2
Cross-border commerce is integral to the modern eCommerce experience—and it is central to brand growth. But with these new opportunities come new challenges, especially as a slew of new (and ever-changing) tariff rates and rules emerge.
Shoppers are discovering global brands as they venture across touchpoints, and they expect to be able to not just engage but buy from these brands at a moment’s notice.
With economic uncertainty growing in the US, now is the time for merchants to seek alternative paths to growth. In fact, the National Retail Federation (NRF) expects retail sales to grow a modest 2.7% to 3.7% this year due to “significant policy uncertainty…weighing on consumer and business confidence,” according to NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.4
In this age of tariff turmoil, there are new rules for not just surviving, but thriving, in the global eCommerce climate. Merchants can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines, but there are new requirements and costs to consider depending on where and how you want to grow.
Mapping New Growth Opportunities
Predicted eCommerce compound annual growth rates (CAGR) through 2030 reveal new growth opportunities for retailers of all sizes.5
Now is the time to level up your cross-border commerce operations and logistics, and ensure you have the systems in place to respond to new tariffs and maintain tax compliance.
If you’re ready to enable business without borders,
follow these five must-know secrets to success…
5 Secrets to Navigating a New Cross-Border Climate:
Does Your Tech Stack Really Stack Up? Optimize Your Tools So They Work Better Together
As businesses grow, they must configure their tech stacks to power the relevant, engaging, and seamless experiences shoppers now expect. While there is a vibrant and ever-growing sector of new tools, solutions, and applications to choose from, merchants are left spending a lot of time, energy, and capital managing their back-end operations.
In fact, more than half (51%) of merchant leaders say they’re trapped in a maze of disconnected tools. On average, they’re managing five or more disparate solutions, which means they have at least:
Increasingly complex tech stacks make silos inevitable. Fragmented data and insights create “blind spots” that inhibit growth, while disconnected systems create preventable bumps in the customer experience that ultimately drive shoppers away. These pain points are especially felt for brands with global supply chains: 75% of non-grocery retailers say access to real-time supply chain data is central to their decision-making.6
Technological friction isn’t just an internal headache for your team to manage. It is an economic drain that has a profound impact on your brand experience. An all-in-one platform can connect all operations and logistics, making it a catalyst for your global growth.
Tariff Turmoil: Navigate Changing Global Trade Policies to Protect Your Bottom Line
Tariffs are ever-changing. New guidelines are constantly being revealed and updated. As of the writing of this piece, President Trump has eliminated the duty-free de minimis loophole for imports valued under $800 (per person, per day) from China, beginning May 2, 2025. This new development adds to the already-existing 145% tariff on some goods entering the US from China.7
Tariff Rates by Country and Product Scope
*The reciprocal tariffs do not apply in the following circumstances:
Goods loaded onto a vessel at the port of loading and in transit on the final mode of transport before the reciprocal tariffs take effect will not be subject to the baseline or country-specific ad valorem tariffs (as applicable). Articles and derivatives of steel and aluminum that are already subject to Section 232 tariffs are excluded. Automobiles and automobile parts that are subject to Section 232 tariffs at the time of import are excluded. Additional articles listed in Annex II to the executive order, including copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber articles, certain critical minerals, and energy and energy products, are excluded. On April 11, President Trump expanded Annex II to include additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) headings and subheadings covering smartphones, computers, and other electronics.
But the conversation is ever-evolving, and other countries central to global supply chains are also impacted,8 creating an incredibly volatile market for merchants. Up to 53% of executives expect the consequences of tariffs to persist for more than three years, which leaves 83% to believe that regulatory shifts could threaten their survival.
Now is the time for merchants to design, and implement, their action plans to ensure their compliance and customer experiences remain in good standing. After all, in this current climate, the two work hand in hand: 71% of consumers expect upfront clarity around product costs, which means unexpected fees are likely to drive cart abandonment.9
Redefine cross-border commerce through tactical innovation:
The right technology partners not only understand global tariff complexities; they have the features and capabilities you need to navigate them effectively.
The Global Market: Your Borderless Business Frontier
Focusing solely on local markets is an obsolete strategy of a bygone era. Consumers expect to be able to buy anything, from anywhere, at any time, which means you must enable commerce everywhere.
Nearly four in five executives are architecting their cross-border breakthrough so they can seize new growth opportunities. The task at the top of their list? Tackle interoperability.
In a survey conducted by Swap in partnership with Wakefield Research, eCommerce executives revealed that their most pressing international expansion challenges related to order management, logistics, and fulfillment:
Swap your convoluted ecosystem of tools, software, platforms, and solutions for an all-in-one platform that can empower you to scale. When systems work in tandem, data and insights can flow seamlessly through the business, which makes serving global customers a breeze.
Centering the Customer Experience Makes for Better Business
Consumers may be more open to browsing and buying from brands outside their home country, but brands with a small (and growing) global presence must focus on adhering to the fundamentals of a trustworthy customer experience. According to IMRG,10 that means prioritizing three key things:
With Trump’s April 2nd Executive Order, Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) is now a requirement for import goods going into the US. The order states that "carriers transporting these postal items must report shipment details to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), maintain an international carrier bond to ensure duty payment, and remit duties to CBP on a set schedule.11 As a seller, that means you must report duties collected upon shipment of the item.
Items traveling from the US to international destinations can still be shipped with duties collected upon landing and before being delivered to the customer—a term known as Delivery Duty Unpaid (DDU). While the seller is responsible for ensuring the safe delivery of goods to a destination country, the buyer would be responsible for any import duties, taxes, and customs clearance fees. Certainly not a seamless or transparent way to collect fees or deliver items.
Although customers can now receive their purchases without incurring additional costs, you must manage the administrative process to ensure the delivery experience is quick and easy. That is how you create a customer experience that builds trust, generates repeat business, and drives brand referrals—your most potent competitive algorithm.
eCommerce Evolved: How Swap's Full-Suite of Operations Tools Work Smarter, Not Harder
Even small and scrappy brands have the power to operate at an enterprise level. Swap’s global network manages cross-border operations and logistics through a single dashboard.
From inventory management, to shipping, to returns, Swap helps 500+ global brands achieve critical interoperability and capture the 30% efficiency invisible to the analog mind.
The growing global eCommerce market presents seismic growth opportunities—but it also unloads significant complexities. For emerging businesses, these complexities can weigh heavily on their operations and hinder their potential.
With smart, streamlined operations and an all-in-one solution to manage taxes, duties, and tariffs, you can keep pace with the ever-changing regulatory climate and ensure a stellar customer experience for all.
Enter Swap: Your Global eCommerce Lifeline
Swap isn’t just a solution provider—we’re a global growth partner that can help you cut through the complexity of international expansion. Our end-to-end platform helps Shopify merchants unlock new markets by providing:
- Global shipping simplified - Ship through your existing warehouses or 3PL partners, but we’ll take care of managing cross-border compliance.
- Automated tax remittance - We handle all tax and duty collection so you can focus on running your business. We’ll even handle all global tax filing and duty drawbacks for you.
- Express customs clearance - We’ll ensure all goods legally enter and exit countries, so your customers get the products they want as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
- Full cost transparency - Customers have full transparency into any added costs, from shipping to prepaid duties and taxes. No surprise costs that create friction and damage trust.
- Seamless customer experiences - Swap works as an importer of record solution to ensure maximum flexibility for customer payment options.
- Tariff compliance and mitigation support - Navigate tariffs like an enterprise brand. With Clear by Swap Global, duties are assessed on the fair market value of goods, not on the final retail price, so you can lessen the financial burden.
Swap is the EcommerceOS for Shopify brands designed with the global market in mind. Our brands save 30% on their operations just by switching to our single solution. Book a demo to learn how.
Citations:
1. Emarketer, Worldwide Retail eCommerce Forecast, 2025. https://www.emarketer.com/content/worldwide-retail-ecommerce-forecast-2025
2. Statista, eCommerce retail sales CAGR 2025-2029, by country. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/220177/b2c-e-commerce-sales-cagr-forecast-for-selected-countries
3. DHL, 2024 Cross-Border Report. https://www.dhl.com/global-en/microsites/ec/ecommerce-insights/insights/reports/2024-cross-border-report.html
4. National Retail Federation, 2025 State of the Consumer. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-forecasts-2025-retail-sales-to-hit-5-42-trillion-despite-economic-uncertainty
5. Statista, eCommerce retail sales CAGR 2025-2029, by country. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/220177/b2c-e-commerce-sales-cagr-forecast-for-selected-countries
9. IPC, Cross-Border Shopper Survey. https://www.ipc.be/services/markets-and-regulations/cross-border-shopper-survey
10. IMRG. https://www.imrg.org/blog/top-cross-border-ecommerce-trends-in-2024/
11. White House Fact Sheet. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-closes-de-minimis-exemptions-to-combat-chinas-role-in-americas-synthetic-opioid-crisis/
You Can Navigate Global eCommerce – With the Right Tools
By the end of 2028, worldwide eCommerce sales are expected to reach about $7.9 billion, according to Emarketer. Despite sales softness in key markets like China,1 the cross-border commerce opportunity is vast, especially considering emerging countries like India.2
Cross-border commerce is integral to the modern eCommerce experience—and it is central to brand growth. But with these new opportunities come new challenges, especially as a slew of new (and ever-changing) tariff rates and rules emerge.
Shoppers are discovering global brands as they venture across touchpoints, and they expect to be able to not just engage but buy from these brands at a moment’s notice.
With economic uncertainty growing in the US, now is the time for merchants to seek alternative paths to growth. In fact, the National Retail Federation (NRF) expects retail sales to grow a modest 2.7% to 3.7% this year due to “significant policy uncertainty…weighing on consumer and business confidence,” according to NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.4
In this age of tariff turmoil, there are new rules for not just surviving, but thriving, in the global eCommerce climate. Merchants can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines, but there are new requirements and costs to consider depending on where and how you want to grow.
Mapping New Growth Opportunities
Predicted eCommerce compound annual growth rates (CAGR) through 2030 reveal new growth opportunities for retailers of all sizes.5
Now is the time to level up your cross-border commerce operations and logistics, and ensure you have the systems in place to respond to new tariffs and maintain tax compliance.
If you’re ready to enable business without borders,
follow these five must-know secrets to success…
5 Secrets to Navigating a New Cross-Border Climate:
Does Your Tech Stack Really Stack Up? Optimize Your Tools So They Work Better Together
As businesses grow, they must configure their tech stacks to power the relevant, engaging, and seamless experiences shoppers now expect. While there is a vibrant and ever-growing sector of new tools, solutions, and applications to choose from, merchants are left spending a lot of time, energy, and capital managing their back-end operations.
In fact, more than half (51%) of merchant leaders say they’re trapped in a maze of disconnected tools. On average, they’re managing five or more disparate solutions, which means they have at least:
Increasingly complex tech stacks make silos inevitable. Fragmented data and insights create “blind spots” that inhibit growth, while disconnected systems create preventable bumps in the customer experience that ultimately drive shoppers away. These pain points are especially felt for brands with global supply chains: 75% of non-grocery retailers say access to real-time supply chain data is central to their decision-making.6
Technological friction isn’t just an internal headache for your team to manage. It is an economic drain that has a profound impact on your brand experience. An all-in-one platform can connect all operations and logistics, making it a catalyst for your global growth.
Tariff Turmoil: Navigate Changing Global Trade Policies to Protect Your Bottom Line
Tariffs are ever-changing. New guidelines are constantly being revealed and updated. As of the writing of this piece, President Trump has eliminated the duty-free de minimis loophole for imports valued under $800 (per person, per day) from China, beginning May 2, 2025. This new development adds to the already-existing 145% tariff on some goods entering the US from China.7
Tariff Rates by Country and Product Scope
*The reciprocal tariffs do not apply in the following circumstances:
Goods loaded onto a vessel at the port of loading and in transit on the final mode of transport before the reciprocal tariffs take effect will not be subject to the baseline or country-specific ad valorem tariffs (as applicable). Articles and derivatives of steel and aluminum that are already subject to Section 232 tariffs are excluded. Automobiles and automobile parts that are subject to Section 232 tariffs at the time of import are excluded. Additional articles listed in Annex II to the executive order, including copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber articles, certain critical minerals, and energy and energy products, are excluded. On April 11, President Trump expanded Annex II to include additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) headings and subheadings covering smartphones, computers, and other electronics.
But the conversation is ever-evolving, and other countries central to global supply chains are also impacted,8 creating an incredibly volatile market for merchants. Up to 53% of executives expect the consequences of tariffs to persist for more than three years, which leaves 83% to believe that regulatory shifts could threaten their survival.
Now is the time for merchants to design, and implement, their action plans to ensure their compliance and customer experiences remain in good standing. After all, in this current climate, the two work hand in hand: 71% of consumers expect upfront clarity around product costs, which means unexpected fees are likely to drive cart abandonment.9
Redefine cross-border commerce through tactical innovation:
The right technology partners not only understand global tariff complexities; they have the features and capabilities you need to navigate them effectively.
The Global Market: Your Borderless Business Frontier
Focusing solely on local markets is an obsolete strategy of a bygone era. Consumers expect to be able to buy anything, from anywhere, at any time, which means you must enable commerce everywhere.
Nearly four in five executives are architecting their cross-border breakthrough so they can seize new growth opportunities. The task at the top of their list? Tackle interoperability.
In a survey conducted by Swap in partnership with Wakefield Research, eCommerce executives revealed that their most pressing international expansion challenges related to order management, logistics, and fulfillment:
Swap your convoluted ecosystem of tools, software, platforms, and solutions for an all-in-one platform that can empower you to scale. When systems work in tandem, data and insights can flow seamlessly through the business, which makes serving global customers a breeze.
Centering the Customer Experience Makes for Better Business
Consumers may be more open to browsing and buying from brands outside their home country, but brands with a small (and growing) global presence must focus on adhering to the fundamentals of a trustworthy customer experience. According to IMRG,10 that means prioritizing three key things:
With Trump’s April 2nd Executive Order, Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) is now a requirement for import goods going into the US. The order states that "carriers transporting these postal items must report shipment details to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), maintain an international carrier bond to ensure duty payment, and remit duties to CBP on a set schedule.11 As a seller, that means you must report duties collected upon shipment of the item.
Items traveling from the US to international destinations can still be shipped with duties collected upon landing and before being delivered to the customer—a term known as Delivery Duty Unpaid (DDU). While the seller is responsible for ensuring the safe delivery of goods to a destination country, the buyer would be responsible for any import duties, taxes, and customs clearance fees. Certainly not a seamless or transparent way to collect fees or deliver items.
Although customers can now receive their purchases without incurring additional costs, you must manage the administrative process to ensure the delivery experience is quick and easy. That is how you create a customer experience that builds trust, generates repeat business, and drives brand referrals—your most potent competitive algorithm.
eCommerce Evolved: How Swap's Full-Suite of Operations Tools Work Smarter, Not Harder
Even small and scrappy brands have the power to operate at an enterprise level. Swap’s global network manages cross-border operations and logistics through a single dashboard.
From inventory management, to shipping, to returns, Swap helps 500+ global brands achieve critical interoperability and capture the 30% efficiency invisible to the analog mind.
The growing global eCommerce market presents seismic growth opportunities—but it also unloads significant complexities. For emerging businesses, these complexities can weigh heavily on their operations and hinder their potential.
With smart, streamlined operations and an all-in-one solution to manage taxes, duties, and tariffs, you can keep pace with the ever-changing regulatory climate and ensure a stellar customer experience for all.
Enter Swap: Your Global eCommerce Lifeline
Swap isn’t just a solution provider—we’re a global growth partner that can help you cut through the complexity of international expansion. Our end-to-end platform helps Shopify merchants unlock new markets by providing:
- Global shipping simplified - Ship through your existing warehouses or 3PL partners, but we’ll take care of managing cross-border compliance.
- Automated tax remittance - We handle all tax and duty collection so you can focus on running your business. We’ll even handle all global tax filing and duty drawbacks for you.
- Express customs clearance - We’ll ensure all goods legally enter and exit countries, so your customers get the products they want as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
- Full cost transparency - Customers have full transparency into any added costs, from shipping to prepaid duties and taxes. No surprise costs that create friction and damage trust.
- Seamless customer experiences - Swap works as an importer of record solution to ensure maximum flexibility for customer payment options.
- Tariff compliance and mitigation support - Navigate tariffs like an enterprise brand. With Clear by Swap Global, duties are assessed on the fair market value of goods, not on the final retail price, so you can lessen the financial burden.
Swap is the EcommerceOS for Shopify brands designed with the global market in mind. Our brands save 30% on their operations just by switching to our single solution. Book a demo to learn how.
Citations:
1. Emarketer, Worldwide Retail eCommerce Forecast, 2025. https://www.emarketer.com/content/worldwide-retail-ecommerce-forecast-2025
2. Statista, eCommerce retail sales CAGR 2025-2029, by country. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/220177/b2c-e-commerce-sales-cagr-forecast-for-selected-countries
3. DHL, 2024 Cross-Border Report. https://www.dhl.com/global-en/microsites/ec/ecommerce-insights/insights/reports/2024-cross-border-report.html
4. National Retail Federation, 2025 State of the Consumer. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-forecasts-2025-retail-sales-to-hit-5-42-trillion-despite-economic-uncertainty
5. Statista, eCommerce retail sales CAGR 2025-2029, by country. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/220177/b2c-e-commerce-sales-cagr-forecast-for-selected-countries
9. IPC, Cross-Border Shopper Survey. https://www.ipc.be/services/markets-and-regulations/cross-border-shopper-survey
10. IMRG. https://www.imrg.org/blog/top-cross-border-ecommerce-trends-in-2024/
11. White House Fact Sheet. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-closes-de-minimis-exemptions-to-combat-chinas-role-in-americas-synthetic-opioid-crisis/
You Can Navigate Global eCommerce – With the Right Tools
By the end of 2028, worldwide eCommerce sales are expected to reach about $7.9 billion, according to Emarketer. Despite sales softness in key markets like China,1 the cross-border commerce opportunity is vast, especially considering emerging countries like India.2
Cross-border commerce is integral to the modern eCommerce experience—and it is central to brand growth. But with these new opportunities come new challenges, especially as a slew of new (and ever-changing) tariff rates and rules emerge.
Shoppers are discovering global brands as they venture across touchpoints, and they expect to be able to not just engage but buy from these brands at a moment’s notice.
With economic uncertainty growing in the US, now is the time for merchants to seek alternative paths to growth. In fact, the National Retail Federation (NRF) expects retail sales to grow a modest 2.7% to 3.7% this year due to “significant policy uncertainty…weighing on consumer and business confidence,” according to NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.4
In this age of tariff turmoil, there are new rules for not just surviving, but thriving, in the global eCommerce climate. Merchants can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines, but there are new requirements and costs to consider depending on where and how you want to grow.
Mapping New Growth Opportunities
Predicted eCommerce compound annual growth rates (CAGR) through 2030 reveal new growth opportunities for retailers of all sizes.5
Now is the time to level up your cross-border commerce operations and logistics, and ensure you have the systems in place to respond to new tariffs and maintain tax compliance.
If you’re ready to enable business without borders,
follow these five must-know secrets to success…
5 Secrets to Navigating a New Cross-Border Climate:
Does Your Tech Stack Really Stack Up? Optimize Your Tools So They Work Better Together
As businesses grow, they must configure their tech stacks to power the relevant, engaging, and seamless experiences shoppers now expect. While there is a vibrant and ever-growing sector of new tools, solutions, and applications to choose from, merchants are left spending a lot of time, energy, and capital managing their back-end operations.
In fact, more than half (51%) of merchant leaders say they’re trapped in a maze of disconnected tools. On average, they’re managing five or more disparate solutions, which means they have at least:
Increasingly complex tech stacks make silos inevitable. Fragmented data and insights create “blind spots” that inhibit growth, while disconnected systems create preventable bumps in the customer experience that ultimately drive shoppers away. These pain points are especially felt for brands with global supply chains: 75% of non-grocery retailers say access to real-time supply chain data is central to their decision-making.6
Technological friction isn’t just an internal headache for your team to manage. It is an economic drain that has a profound impact on your brand experience. An all-in-one platform can connect all operations and logistics, making it a catalyst for your global growth.
Tariff Turmoil: Navigate Changing Global Trade Policies to Protect Your Bottom Line
Tariffs are ever-changing. New guidelines are constantly being revealed and updated. As of the writing of this piece, President Trump has eliminated the duty-free de minimis loophole for imports valued under $800 (per person, per day) from China, beginning May 2, 2025. This new development adds to the already-existing 145% tariff on some goods entering the US from China.7
Tariff Rates by Country and Product Scope
*The reciprocal tariffs do not apply in the following circumstances:
Goods loaded onto a vessel at the port of loading and in transit on the final mode of transport before the reciprocal tariffs take effect will not be subject to the baseline or country-specific ad valorem tariffs (as applicable). Articles and derivatives of steel and aluminum that are already subject to Section 232 tariffs are excluded. Automobiles and automobile parts that are subject to Section 232 tariffs at the time of import are excluded. Additional articles listed in Annex II to the executive order, including copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber articles, certain critical minerals, and energy and energy products, are excluded. On April 11, President Trump expanded Annex II to include additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) headings and subheadings covering smartphones, computers, and other electronics.
But the conversation is ever-evolving, and other countries central to global supply chains are also impacted,8 creating an incredibly volatile market for merchants. Up to 53% of executives expect the consequences of tariffs to persist for more than three years, which leaves 83% to believe that regulatory shifts could threaten their survival.
Now is the time for merchants to design, and implement, their action plans to ensure their compliance and customer experiences remain in good standing. After all, in this current climate, the two work hand in hand: 71% of consumers expect upfront clarity around product costs, which means unexpected fees are likely to drive cart abandonment.9
Redefine cross-border commerce through tactical innovation:
The right technology partners not only understand global tariff complexities; they have the features and capabilities you need to navigate them effectively.
The Global Market: Your Borderless Business Frontier
Focusing solely on local markets is an obsolete strategy of a bygone era. Consumers expect to be able to buy anything, from anywhere, at any time, which means you must enable commerce everywhere.
Nearly four in five executives are architecting their cross-border breakthrough so they can seize new growth opportunities. The task at the top of their list? Tackle interoperability.
In a survey conducted by Swap in partnership with Wakefield Research, eCommerce executives revealed that their most pressing international expansion challenges related to order management, logistics, and fulfillment:
Swap your convoluted ecosystem of tools, software, platforms, and solutions for an all-in-one platform that can empower you to scale. When systems work in tandem, data and insights can flow seamlessly through the business, which makes serving global customers a breeze.
Centering the Customer Experience Makes for Better Business
Consumers may be more open to browsing and buying from brands outside their home country, but brands with a small (and growing) global presence must focus on adhering to the fundamentals of a trustworthy customer experience. According to IMRG,10 that means prioritizing three key things:
With Trump’s April 2nd Executive Order, Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) is now a requirement for import goods going into the US. The order states that "carriers transporting these postal items must report shipment details to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), maintain an international carrier bond to ensure duty payment, and remit duties to CBP on a set schedule.11 As a seller, that means you must report duties collected upon shipment of the item.
Items traveling from the US to international destinations can still be shipped with duties collected upon landing and before being delivered to the customer—a term known as Delivery Duty Unpaid (DDU). While the seller is responsible for ensuring the safe delivery of goods to a destination country, the buyer would be responsible for any import duties, taxes, and customs clearance fees. Certainly not a seamless or transparent way to collect fees or deliver items.
Although customers can now receive their purchases without incurring additional costs, you must manage the administrative process to ensure the delivery experience is quick and easy. That is how you create a customer experience that builds trust, generates repeat business, and drives brand referrals—your most potent competitive algorithm.
eCommerce Evolved: How Swap's Full-Suite of Operations Tools Work Smarter, Not Harder
Even small and scrappy brands have the power to operate at an enterprise level. Swap’s global network manages cross-border operations and logistics through a single dashboard.
From inventory management, to shipping, to returns, Swap helps 500+ global brands achieve critical interoperability and capture the 30% efficiency invisible to the analog mind.
The growing global eCommerce market presents seismic growth opportunities—but it also unloads significant complexities. For emerging businesses, these complexities can weigh heavily on their operations and hinder their potential.
With smart, streamlined operations and an all-in-one solution to manage taxes, duties, and tariffs, you can keep pace with the ever-changing regulatory climate and ensure a stellar customer experience for all.
Enter Swap: Your Global eCommerce Lifeline
Swap isn’t just a solution provider—we’re a global growth partner that can help you cut through the complexity of international expansion. Our end-to-end platform helps Shopify merchants unlock new markets by providing:
- Global shipping simplified - Ship through your existing warehouses or 3PL partners, but we’ll take care of managing cross-border compliance.
- Automated tax remittance - We handle all tax and duty collection so you can focus on running your business. We’ll even handle all global tax filing and duty drawbacks for you.
- Express customs clearance - We’ll ensure all goods legally enter and exit countries, so your customers get the products they want as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
- Full cost transparency - Customers have full transparency into any added costs, from shipping to prepaid duties and taxes. No surprise costs that create friction and damage trust.
- Seamless customer experiences - Swap works as an importer of record solution to ensure maximum flexibility for customer payment options.
- Tariff compliance and mitigation support - Navigate tariffs like an enterprise brand. With Clear by Swap Global, duties are assessed on the fair market value of goods, not on the final retail price, so you can lessen the financial burden.
Swap is the EcommerceOS for Shopify brands designed with the global market in mind. Our brands save 30% on their operations just by switching to our single solution. Book a demo to learn how.
Citations:
1. Emarketer, Worldwide Retail eCommerce Forecast, 2025. https://www.emarketer.com/content/worldwide-retail-ecommerce-forecast-2025
2. Statista, eCommerce retail sales CAGR 2025-2029, by country. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/220177/b2c-e-commerce-sales-cagr-forecast-for-selected-countries
3. DHL, 2024 Cross-Border Report. https://www.dhl.com/global-en/microsites/ec/ecommerce-insights/insights/reports/2024-cross-border-report.html
4. National Retail Federation, 2025 State of the Consumer. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-forecasts-2025-retail-sales-to-hit-5-42-trillion-despite-economic-uncertainty
5. Statista, eCommerce retail sales CAGR 2025-2029, by country. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/220177/b2c-e-commerce-sales-cagr-forecast-for-selected-countries
9. IPC, Cross-Border Shopper Survey. https://www.ipc.be/services/markets-and-regulations/cross-border-shopper-survey
10. IMRG. https://www.imrg.org/blog/top-cross-border-ecommerce-trends-in-2024/
11. White House Fact Sheet. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-closes-de-minimis-exemptions-to-combat-chinas-role-in-americas-synthetic-opioid-crisis/
Continue Reading...
THIS ARTICLE IS FOR MEMBERS ONLY
Insights and futurism for executives in eCom and Retail
Those things we shouldn’t say out loud? We say them on the private feed. Bi-weekly “after dark” podcasts and a members-only newsletter, just for subscribers.
Our research reports combine visionary thinking with data-backed findings from our own advisory panel, made up of leaders at brands you know and trust.
Upskill, cross-skill, and future-proof your teams with Future Commerce Learning, the leading digital eCommerce learning platform, created by professional educators.
![[Member Brief] Why Warehouse Clubs are Winning in the New Geopolitical Battleground](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5d7da04028ecca2357d6b3b0/6815481ec2e37799f1ee4341_warehouse.jpg)
