Landmark Global expands ecommerce shipping to all countries
US e-commerce shipping company Landmark Global has appointed an ex-Purolator director to lead an expansion of its parcel delivery services around the world. The California-based cross-border business-to-consumer third-party logistics company has specialised in shipping parcels from US-origin websites into Canada since it began business seven years ago.
It began opening that service up to other English-speaking countries last year, but is now extending its services to deliver to all countries across the globe, working with carrier partners in each country.
The firm has now appointed former Purolator director of sales John Jensen to lead the international expansion, as vice president of international e-commerce.
Jensen, who brings more than 20 years of sales, operations, e-commerce and international experience to his new role, including time at UPS, said: “International markets provide significant growth potential with consumers familiar with purchasing online and from US-based websites.”
“Our product offerings, coupled with an easy, fast implementation process, offer merchants a seamless solution to opening these markets and driving sales.”
Ecommerce sales in the US have been growing by more than 15% a year since the recession of 2008-09, when growth remained positive. Analysts project growth of more than 13% in 2012, with ecommerce still representing only around 5% of total retail sales in America.
While as many as three quarters of US ecommerce websites sell to Canada, increasingly even smaller retailers are seeing the potential for expansion beyond North America.
From 2008 to 2010, even through the recession, international buying on US ecommerce websites grew 20%, leaving around 7% of sales on US websites originating from overseas, with the UK and Australia the largest markets other than Canada.
Expansion
With its head office in Santa Barbara, Landmark Global moves around 2.5m parcels into Canada each year, with around 95% of its business on the e-commerce side of the business-to-consumer market.
The company has been expanding significantly over the past year with new warehouse locations in Buffalo, New York, and Mississauga, Ontario, and boosting its customs capabilities through the acquisition of DL Zinn Customs Brokers Ltd back in October. Earlier this year, the company partnered with Texas-based shipping provider Newgistics to support its new US-Canada cross-border service.
Landmark Global began offering its delivery services to countries like Australia from last year, maintaining a “carrier neutral” policy internationally, while offering B2C shippers service features including track and trace, pre-paid customs brokerage and returns logistics.
For e-commerce retailers, the international service also offers the possibility of hosted check-out facilities, landed cost calculations and either duty-paid or duty-unpaid cross-border models.
Landmark Global said the approach meant its clients could get involved in as much, or as little, of the foreign transaction as they wish.
Some of the key international potential could come with Asia, with the company set to manage both shipments to Asia and returns inbound into the US through its southern California location.
Julie-Anne Fiore, the vice president of marketing at Landmark Global, told Post&Parcel that her company had been experiencing “exponential” growth and expansion since 2009, and that while the overwhelming majority of the firm’s shipments currently go to Canada, there were obvious synergies in helping clients expand to new international markets.
“In 2011, we opened delivery services to other English speaking countries and enjoyed a strong market response to this offering,” she explained.
“We hope to continue our growth, success and client loyalty as we enter a new phase of providing more e-commerce resources to the US merchant population.”
