There are 33.5 million online shoppers in Brazil.
In 2014 alone, consumers in Brazil spent 17.8 billion dollars on online purchases, and this number is expected to increase to $40.8 billion by 2019. Of these purchases, 25 percent are made from U.S. retail websites.
So, with such a prominent ecommerce market, you’d think many U.S. online businesses would jump at the opportunity to sell in Brazil. But there is one [big] problem – international shipping via the postal network to Brazil is too darn complicated.
Customs forms are confusing, there are major delays in customs clearance, shipping costs are high, and there is a lack of visibility overall.
At Endicia we know this because our customers have told us so. In fact, in a survey of Endicia customers, Brazil is considered the most challenging country to ship to.
Here’s how shipping to Brazil currently plays out:
- The Brazilian customer purchases a product online and pays for shipping costs
- You (the U.S. merchant) print a shipping label with detailed customs information
- The product is shipped and takes up to 10 days to clear Brazilian customs
- The customer is notified of duties and taxes they didn’t know they owed
- The customer has to pay the additional fees before receiving the product
Needless to say, the current method doesn’t cultivate happy customers.
THE GOOD NEWS is that today we launched the beta of a new solution, called Endicia Global Service, to eliminate the hassles associated with international shipping to Latin America.
With this shipping service, packages sent to Brazil will clear customs in hours not days, so the customer receives the product in 8-10 days instead of the usual 20.
The service allows users to take advantage of affordable networks, including USPS for U.S. domestic transport and the local Brazilian post for delivery, while also offering important services such as address validation, end-to-end tracking, and the option to pay duties and taxes upfront. Oh, and did we mention no customs forms? Simply apply your domestic USPS shipping label and we will take care of the rest.
The Endicia Global Service beta is now available for Brazil, but the service will expand to additional countries in Latin America and the Caribbean by the end of 2015. To sign up for the Endicia Global Service beta program, visit www.endicia.com/egs and fill out the form on that page to be contacted by an Endicia representative.
Check out the infographic below to see the opportunity Brazil presents, the challenges for U.S. online businesses, and how Endicia Global Service will lower these barriers.
