How fashion brands approach cross-border e-commerce pricing

Abstract

Cross-border e-commerce is the fastest, easiest and most cost-effective way for brands to expand their international sales. Research suggests that a third of shoppers around the world have purchased products online from retailers in other countries, and that fashion is the most popular product category for such purchases. Fashion brands looking to reach international markets should thus consider cross-border e-commerce as a primary channel when entering new markets or strategising for international growth. But because independent research has revealed that pricing relative to local markets is the main driver behind cross-border purchases, even fashion brands should manage pricing carefully in order to maximise the advantages cross-border e-commerce offers as a channel. This paper describes some of the major challenges fashion brands face when pricing merchandise for cross-border e-commerce and offers examples of how some brands have approached these challenges per the experience of the author.