Despite an unpredictable landscape, global retailers remain optimistic about cross-border expansion. Explore key findings from Asendia’s Beyond Borders research and learn how to drive growth in 2025.
Complex, unpredictable, tense… The atmosphere created by recent trade policy shifts can hardly be described as comfortable for cross-border e-commerce brands. Yet data from Asendia’s most recent research shows that global retailers are feeling confident of growing international sales in 2025.
In this article we’ll take you through some of the key findings from that study, examine where retailers are seeking to drive growth, and explain why global shipping partners are critical to delivering success in these turbulent times.
Beyond Borders: A timely temperature check for global e-commerce
Our whitepaper, Beyond Borders: Cross-border e-commerce opportunities in a fast-changing world, was based on research conducted in March 2025: a time when shifting trade policies were already dominating headlines and headspace. For businesses and consumers alike, President Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs may have been alarming, but perhaps not surprising. Given the context, our study offers a timely temperature check of attitudes. We surveyed 1,000 e-tailers from across the US, APAC, EU and the UK and – despite the clear and obvious challenges – our respondents revealed striking optimism.
Cross-border e-commerce confidence is holding strong
On average, almost three quarters (72%) of global retailers said they felt confident that they would be able to grow cross-border sales in the year ahead. That optimism was most pronounced in APAC, where 78% expressed the same sentiment. In China, this figure rose to 94%, perhaps signifying an innate business confidence underpinned by a broad network of target markets outside of the increasingly protectionist US economy.
Meanwhile, in the USA and UK, retailers appear to exhibit a touch more caution. However, the stats still portray a widespread belief that solutions can be found to the current cross-border e-commerce challenges.
Which markets are online retailers targeting?
Without doubt, emerging barriers to trade are forcing some e-commerce brands to re-evaluate their regional strategies. That said, the data appears to show that retailers remain open to opportunities wherever they arise.
While the US sits at the eye of the tariff storm, North America is still on the cross-border e-commerce radar for about a fifth of brands outside of the territory.
Recent headlines demonstrate that the tariff picture is changing all the time and shifting rhetoric offers promising signs that trade tensions will ease . This may explain why international retailers still see the world’s biggest importer as a market offering potential commercial viability in the year ahead.
Elsewhere, Europe is a key target territory for many. Over a third (34%) of global retailers cite Western Europe as their preferred destination, with almost a quarter (24%) saying the same of Eastern Europe.
Amongst European retailers, more than half of our respondents said they were eyeing expansion within their own continent. There are numerous logical, cultural and sustainability reasons that make nearby markets appealing, as our data seems to strongly support.
Overall, the numbers show that a healthy global appetite for cross-border e-commerce endures, even if brands’ strategies vary from region to region.
Headwinds, not hard stops
E-commerce businesses are clearly up against it right now. Well over half - 58% - of brands flag concerns over political and economic instability. But complexities in cross-border e-commerce are nothing new. Global supply chain challenges, geopolitical tensions, language barriers and cultural differences are also widely reported as barriers – and all these things predate the current tariff turmoil.
Innovative retailers have proven that they can navigate uncertainty to nurture thriving global businesses in the past, so there is no reason to think this will change. Rather than retreating, brands are doubling down, collaborating with trusted global logistics partners to support continued cross-border growth.
Why finding the right shipping partner is crucial to future success
Cross-border e-commerce is alive and well. Ambitious, savvy brands are set to reach new customers, diversify revenue streams and enhance their brand recognition.
However, given the complexity of the current trading climate, seizing these opportunities is not as straightforward as procuring freight capacity for exported goods. Brands must find partners who can offer global expertise, local knowledge, proven agility and reliability.
With support from the right logistics partner, your business will be perfectly positioned to turn trade challenges into growth opportunities so you can scale with confidence.
Learn more about the barriers and opportunities that e-commerce brands currently face, as well as the strategies they are employing to secure lasting growth. Download Asendia’s Beyond Borders whitepaper now.
