Cross-Border Chronicle | November 20th, 2024 Newsletter

2024 Holiday International Shipping Deadlines

The holidays are fast approaching, and along with the festive cheer comes the challenge of meeting customer expectations for on-time delivery, especially for international shipments.

FlavorCloud has compiled official holiday shipping deadlines for key regions to help you plan for seamless cross-border operations during Peak Season.

So, what should you know?

• Plan Ahead: Incentivize early purchases from shoppers to avoid delays.

• Opt for DDP Over DDU: DDP ensures faster customs clearance and no surprise fees,?helping you boost customer trust and encourage repeat purchases.

• Review Our Shipping Deadlines by Region here.

Final Preparations for Peak

With BFCM just around the corner, there’s no time like the present to ensure you’re prepared for the holiday rush! Lucky for you, we’ve put together a comprehensive resource to help you dot your i's and cross your t’s, especially when it comes to your international shipping strategy. If you’ve been putting off some last-minute to-do's,?our Peak Prep blog is the perfect resource to provide you with peace of mind heading into the next few weeks.

As a reminder, our team of experts is also available Monday-Friday from 8am-8pm EST and via email at [email protected] to help with any questions this Peak Season!

Industry Updates

Q3 Shopify Earnings Underscore International as Key Growth Lever for Merchants

Shopify recently hosted their Q3 earnings call, citing strong growth in both B2B and international sales, with cross-border growing faster than domestic GMV at 33% in Q3. In addition, international transactions now account for 14% of total merchant sales! As Shopify continues to be a leading commerce platform for merchants across the globe, looking to their data points can yield key learnings for brands and technology providers alike. With international GMV continuing to outpace growth rates in the North American market, the ability for merchants to expand globally to drive profitability becomes increasingly important. FlavorCloud is proud to support merchants as they expand their global footprint and we continue to unlock anywhere-to-anywhere commerce, together.

Canada Post Strike: Implications for Merchants

As of November 15, 2024, approximately 55,000 Canada Post workers commenced a nationwide strike after failing to reach a contractual agreement with the postal operator. This action has led to a complete shutdown of operations, affecting mail and parcel processing and delivery across the country.

Current Status:

• Negotiations: Talks between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) are ongoing, with a special mediator appointed by the federal government to facilitate discussions. Despite some progress on minor issues, significant differences remain unresolved. ?(Source: CP24)

• Impact on Services: The strike has halted all mail and parcel deliveries, with some post offices closed. Customers should anticipate delays, and service guarantees are currently suspended. (Source: Canada Post)

Recommendations for Merchants:

• Anticipate Delays: Plan for potential disruptions in deliveries, especially for shipments relying on Canada Post.

• Communicate Proactively: Keep customers informed about possible delays and provide alternative shipping options when feasible.

• Explore Alternatives: Check out FlavorCloud’s extensive carrier network to mitigate the impact of the strike and ensure timely deliveries. We have alternative routing in place with our carrier partners to minimize disruptions for Canada shipments and are monitoring the situation in real-time.

Why This Matters: The Canada Post strike coincides with the holiday season, posing significant challenges for merchants. Proactive measures and alternative shipping solutions are essential to maintain customer satisfaction during this period.

Product Updates

What’s New?

• We’ve officially?rolled out expanded tracking statuses within the Branded Tracking experience, providing even more granular visibility for your shoppers on the status of their package and helping minimize?WISMO (Where Is My Order?) inquiries heading into this Peak Season!

• We've released an update that provides merchants with better visibility into their total sales in specific markets where they need to comply with tax reporting requirements when certain sales thresholds are reached. This feature makes monitoring sales thresholds easier by providing visibility via in-app analytics and email alerts, giving merchants even more tools to stay compliant. As a reminder, FlavorCloud files taxes on behalf of merchants using our Tax IDs so you do not need to create entities in specific countries for this purpose.

• Merchants?can now easily add insurance on a per-shipment basis via a simple toggle on the Order Details page within FlavorCloud app, making it easy to protect specific orders as needed.

Coming Soon:

• In the coming weeks, we'll be turning our attention toward Peak Season and supporting our merchants and partners through this busy time. Stay tuned for more exciting product updates in 2025!

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