Brexit eCommerce
Without a free trade agreement, customs formalities are causing a big headache for British eCommerce sellers that want to access the EU single market. But you don’t have to limit yourself to UK consumers. Autofulfil can store, pick, and pack your stock within the EU customs union from our fulfillment centre in Ireland, then manage international shipping across mainland Europe and the European Economic Area on your behalf.
How Brexit has impacted the UK eCommerce industry
The European Union (EU) is a major eCommerce market for UK business growth. In 2020, UK exports to the EU were worth £251 billion (42% of all UK exports).
Cross-border online shopping post-Brexit poses new challenges, since every single shipment from the UK to the EU has to be treated as an international export/import shipment – requiring additional time and money spent on customs declarations & documentation, import inspections, Brexit shipping surcharges, EU tax obligations and customs duties to be paid prior to delivery, and managing unhappy customers.
Exports from the UK customs territory to EU markets plunged 68% the month after Brexit regulations went into effect. Many UK eCommerce businesses continue to avoid cross-border sales to EU countries due to the added time, additional costs, and headaches posed by Brexit.
Exporting to the European Union after Brexit
Fortunately, there’s an easy solution for UK eCommerce brands to get around Brexit challenges and continue to sell and ship products to customers in EU countries. By partnering with an EU-based fulfillment centre, such as Autofulfil in Ireland, many of the barriers of selling into other countries across Europe after Brexit are eliminated.
The process is simple
Why should UK businesses fulfill eCommerce orders from Ireland?
When it comes to fulfilling and shipping online orders from the UK to the EU after Brexit, Ireland is the perfect gateway to Europe for UK-based online stores.
Ireland’s status as an EU member state and our close proximity to the UK means the low inventory freight importing costs into the EU.
Our longstanding relationships, shared native English language, and shared cultural characteristics make Irish and UK companies a natural fit for successful business partnerships.
Benefits of fulfilling UK to EU orders with Autofulfil
Faster and lower cost delivery to EU customers
No need for each shipment to go through customs clearance delays or incur Brexit shipping fees. Shipments that may take weeks to be delivered across the EU from the UK will be delivered from Ireland within 1-4 days, remaining compliant with all the relevant rules.
Faster shipping and lower costs = happy EU customers, and happy EU customers = more revenue growth for your business.
Less time spent dealing with customs procedures
Only deal with customs regulations once per bulk inventory shipment, rather than preparing customs documents for every individual customer order.
Less time spent dealing with complicated logistics headaches and unhappy customers means more time available to focus on making great products and growing your eCommerce business.
Autofulfil’s European eCommerce fulfillment services
Autofulfil provides full-service European fulfillment solutions, so you can chill while we fulfill. Our fulfillment services include:
Other benefits of EU order fulfillment for online retailers with Autofulfil
We’re automated
From your online store, to our warehouse floor, to your customer’s door
We’re accurate
You can always count on our 99.9% same-day accuracy rate
We’re experienced
Built by eCommerce retailers for eCommerce retailers in 2014
We’re capable
100,000 sq ft fulfillment centre with millions of items fulfilled per year
We’re affordable
Great value for EU customers with competitive rates on fulfillment & shipping
Want to learn more about expanding your brand from the UK into Europe?
Eliminate the stress and hassle of any Brexit transition period or trade deal. Request a quote and our team will contact you to answer your questions and provide a custom proposal for your unique business needs. Get started in as little as one week!
