FedEx targets European e-commerce with International Connect Plus rollout to 10 countries

FedEx today unveiled a big expansion of its new international day-definite delivery service for European e-retailers to 10 countries following a successful initial launch at the start of this year.

The international express giant introduced the new FedEx International Connect Plus (FCIP) service in the UK and Italy in January 2021.

It has now expanded access to this day-definite e-commerce delivery service to eight more markets: Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands. The service thus now covers 10 countries in Europe in total.

E-commerce boom

FedEx said it is reshaping its product portfolio for e-commerce customers as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates online retailing dramatically. Research shows 49% of shoppers will shop online more frequently once the COVID-19 outbreak is over, and online spending is projected to increase by a further 14% to €2.96 trillion this calendar year, it pointed out.

The US giant explained that by offering customers access to a larger suite of e-commerce services, FICP will support European businesses on their growth journeys by connecting them to more customers in global and intra-European markets. Expanding e-commerce capabilities is a key pillar of its European growth strategy.

Wouter Roels, Senior Vice President Marketing International, FedEx Express Europe, said: “Since launching in Italy and the UK earlier this year, FedEx International Connect Plus has proven popular with e-commerce businesses and consumers looking to strike a balance between speed of delivery and value for money.

“As part of our European growth strategy, our aim is to offer our customers a suite of shipping solutions that are easily accessible and match their specific delivery needs.”

Cross-border shipping at attractive prices

FICP is currently available on 240 trade lanes out of Europe (including intra-European and intercontinental routes to Asia Pacific and the USA).

FedEx is working now to expand FICP to more than 600 lanes, which means over 150 intra-European and 200 inter-continental lanes are expected to be added before the end of the 2021 calendar year.

Using FedEx International Connect Plus, online businesses are able to offer their buyers an additional international shipping option at attractive prices. FICP allows e-commerce businesses to reach online shoppers in Europe in 2-4 days, North America in 3 days and Asia-Pacific in 3-5 days.

The new service is backed by the reliability of FedEx’s international, day-definite delivery service, coupled with FedEx’s customs clearance expertise. Other supporting capabilities include tracking, sending out notifications to receivers and flexibility to change delivery options via FedEx Delivery Manager, which provides shoppers with visibility, more control and convenience over their online orders.

Customer benefits

Benefits of FICP for shippers and their online shoppers, according to FedEx, include:

• Wider choice – adding FICP to FedEx’s growing portfolio of services enables shippers to offer a wider range of shipping options for their customers.
• Greater value – customers benefit from value for money, matching attractive prices with their specific delivery needs.
• Global reach – the FICP service will connect FedEx’s European customers to almost three quarters of the world’s GDP. Further expansion of the service, expected to complete by the end of calendar year 2021, will enhance this connection to almost 90%.
• Flexibility and control – by signing up to FedEx Delivery Manager, shippers can customize their delivery options, so online shoppers can choose an option that suits them best.
• Peace of mind –extensive parcel tracking capabilities giving customers visibility throughout their parcel’s journey.

Taking on DHL and UPS

The FedEx International Connect Plus (FCIP) service was flagged by FedEx’s Chief Marketing Officer Brie Carere on the company’s quarterly results call in mid-March.

She told analysts that the new service “has been designed with features of service targeted to reduce the cost to serve, while delivering an outstanding customer experience and is specifically targeted to support our e-commerce customers”.

Carere admitted that FedEx was “behind both DHL and UPS” in the international e-commerce market and “did not have an international product that really had the right features of service for serving this massive growth opportunity”.

But she underlined that FedEx now has “the fastest intra-European ground network” following integration of the TNT ground network.