Europe's Cross-Border Logistics Has Quietly Gotten Genuinely Good

For most of European ecommerce history, cross-border shipping was a structural friction. Slow, expensive and inconsistent across markets, it discouraged brands from selling outside their domestic geographies. That has changed materially in the past two years. The story matters because cross-border european logistics is finally good enough to support pan-european ecommerce strategies.

What's better DPD has built one of the strongest pan-European parcel networks in years. DHL has continued to invest heavily in cross-border express. Evri has rebuilt its U.K. operations and is gaining ground. National operators have invested aggressively in cross-border partnerships, dramatically improving service levels for ecommerce shipments between major European markets.

What it means for brands Pan-European ecommerce strategies that were structurally unattractive five years ago now make economic sense for many DTC and ecommerce operators. Cross-border GMV growth is meaningfully outpacing domestic ecommerce growth in most European markets.

European cross-border logistics finally caught up to the ambition of European brands. The implications for the next decade are significant.

What to watch next Expect continued investment in cross-border infrastructure, more pan-European fulfilment partnerships and a growing share of European ecommerce GMV originating outside the buyer's home market. For operators and investors, the read-through is clear: european brands without a cross-border strategy are increasingly leaving real growth on the table.