Canada Post has sold its e-commerce business unit Borderfree to the US firm FiftyOne GlobalEcommerce to focus on its main delivery and logistics services.
FiftyOne operates a global e-commerce technology and services platform that enables US retailersto do business with consumers in 106 countries in 41 different currencies. More than 120 top USretailers already have a partnership with FiftyOne to expand their e-commerce activitiesinternationally.
Canada Post set up its e-commerce support service in 1999 which became part of the postaloperator in 2002 and has grown into a solid business providing cross-border services for leading USretailers selling to Canada. In addition, Borderfree customers have profited from the access to theCanadian parcel network through shipping solutions offered by Canada Post.
FiftyOne said that through its acquisition of Borderfree, it will be able to strengthen itsposition and global e-commerce portfolio by combining the technology platform and expertise of thetwo market leaders.
Michael DeSimone, FiftyOne CEO, said: “We’re constantly exploring new technologies and serviceideas to enable our merchants to maximise international sales, and the acquisition of Borderfreeallows us to provide more insight and resources towards transactions with Canadian consumers.Borderfree is one of the pioneers in cross-border ecommerce, and we are excited to leverage itsplatform and resources to continue providing the best possible service for our merchants.”
FiftyOne has opened an office in Toronto, the largest city in Canada, which will house the coreBorderfree team joining FiftyOne. The team will focus on developing and carrying out a new Canadianlogistics programme to provide faster, cheaper and additional shipping options responding to theneeds of Canadian online shoppers.
Based in New York, FiftyOne manages all aspects of international orders including multi-currencypricing and payment processing, landed cost calculation, customs clearance and brokerage,international fraud management, international logistics orchestration and customer-experienceparity.
Through the merger of the two cross-border e-commerce market leaders, the expanded FiftyOneplatform outnumbers any other global ecommerce provider by more than 50 brands.
