As the epidemic spreads globally, how should cross-border sellers respond?

As the epidemic spreads globally, how should cross-border sellers respond?


On February 27, at the Guangzhou Municipal Government's epidemic prevention and control press conference, Academician Zhong Nanshan revealed three important pieces of information:
1. It is predicted that the epidemic will be basically under control by the end of April;
2. It may not have originated in China;
3. The body produces enough antibodies to prevent reinfection.
Although the epidemic in our country is currently under good control, other countries in the world have fallen one after another.

South Korea has 2,931 cases, Italy has 650 cases, the United States has 60 cases, the United Kingdom has 13 cases, and even in faraway South America, Brazil has 1 case...
According to statistics, the epidemic is raging in more than 43 countries , and the COVID-19 pandemic is showing signs of evolving into a global epidemic.

For the world, the COVID-19 outbreak has just begun, but for cross-border sellers, challenges are coming one after another.
In this article, the editor sorts out the current situation of the global epidemic and logistics for cross-border sellers and provides relevant references.



Current global epidemic situation

Asia


South Korea: Congress delays military quarantine


South Korea is the worst-hit country outside of China. The sharp increase in the number of confirmed cases in South Korea is related to a local church.

According to the Korean health department, as of 9:00 local time on the 29th, South Korea had 594 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection, with a total of 2,931 confirmed infections and 16 deaths.



Koreans lined up in long queues to buy masks. The price of masks has soared 6-8 times:


Japan: Olympic preparations proceeding as normal


As of 09:50 a.m. local time on February 29, Japan has confirmed a total of 940 cases of COVID-19 and 11 deaths from the disease.

▲ Epidemic map of Hokkaido, Japan, with confirmed cases scattered in every corner


On the 27th local time, Michael Ryan, head of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Program, said that preparations for the Tokyo Olympics will proceed as normal and no decision to change the Tokyo Olympics will be made in the near future.

Sellers on the Japanese site may want to consider products such as cushions, multi-language signs, cheering peripherals, game viewing supplies, and sporting goods .



Current global epidemic situation

Europe and America


Italy: Closure, suspension of classes, cancellation of Serie A


Italy is currently the country in Europe hardest hit by the epidemic .


According to the latest data released by the Italian Ministry of Health at 18:00 on the 28th, Italy has confirmed a total of 888 cases of novel coronavirus pneumonia, including 64 severe cases and 4 new deaths:


It is worth noting that Italian Prime Minister Conte said that it is safe to travel to Italy.


French President Emmanuel Macron said that the French-Italian border will not be closed due to the new coronavirus outbreak.

However, more than 20 countries including Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, India and Turkey have taken measures such as restricting entry into Italy, prohibiting organized travel to Italy, and suspending flights.

France


French Health Minister Veran announced on the evening of the 27th that as of 19:00 on the evening of the 27th, a total of 38 cases of new coronary pneumonia had been confirmed in France, with 2 deaths, 12 cured, and 24 hospitalized. France is facing a "substantial increase" in the number of confirmed infections.

▲ On February 27, French President Emmanuel Macron and his entourage visited the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris to visit medical staff on the front line of the fight against the epidemic. No one in the picture wore a mask. (Photo by AFP)

USA


The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States has increased to 62, 40 of which are evacuated personnel from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.


The epidemic has caused a shortage of masks in the United States. At the U.S. Secretary of Health hearing on February 25, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Azar stated: There is a shortage of 270 million masks in the United States .
On February 28, according to the Financial Times, the United States also blocked U.S. military bases in South Korea in order to control the new coronavirus epidemic.


Current global epidemic situation

Middle East


Iran: The hardest-hit region in the Middle East


Currently, Iranian officials say that the country has a total of 388 confirmed cases and 34 deaths, making it the country with the most serious epidemic in the Middle East. However, Iranian officials refuse to implement isolation and quarantine in areas where the epidemic has broken out, saying that this is a conservative measure that they will not trust.

 

Current situation of cross-border logistics

Italy & Kuwait

Affected by the epidemic, most logistics companies have suffered a heavy blow, and domestic logistics and transportation have faced a huge test. As a part of cross-border trade, cross-border logistics plays an extremely important role. Cross-border e-commerce has higher requirements for the effectiveness, stability and security of logistics and distribution, and is even more miserable.
Affected by the epidemic, airlines and shipping companies in various countries have introduced measures to suspend major routes between China and foreign countries. Changes in shipping policies will directly lead to restrictions on logistics transportation in the belly of suspended passenger aircraft, seriously affecting the timeliness of cross-border logistics.
Due to the need for global epidemic control, ships that call at China are required to undergo many port entry inspections and quarantines; and when ships go overseas, customs in other countries will also add a lot of pre-arrival inspections and quarantines because the ships are from China, including the presentation of various certificates, which also extends the timeliness of cross-border logistics.
As the global epidemic situation expands, global logistics and transportation will inevitably encounter great obstacles. The epidemic is rampant in the European, American and Japanese e-commerce markets, and it is already difficult to export goods. Now that foreign logistics are blocked, it is even worse.

Italy

Due to the epidemic in Italy, several logistics companies have suspended operations in many regions of Italy. Italian Post has arranged for the temporary closure of post offices and suspended the delivery of letters and parcels to areas deemed dangerous by national authorities;

▲Screenshot from the official website of Poste Italia


UPS Italy has suspended package deliveries and pickups in 11 cities in Lombardy and Veneto; all undeliverable shipments will remain at UPS centers and be delivered when the areas affected by the quarantine reopen.

▲Screenshot from the Italian UPS official website


SpeedPAK has also suspended parcel collection, acceptance and delivery services in 27 regions in Italy.

Kuwait

It is reported that in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus through seaports and border crossings, the Kuwait Maritime Department issued a notice: from February 25, ships from mainland China, Hong Kong, Iraq, South Korea, Italy, Thailand, Singapore and Japan are prohibited from docking.


Kuwait has also suspended flights with Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Thailand, Italy and Iraq due to the coronavirus. It is worth noting that the relevant Kuwaiti government department specifically noted in this notice that ships transporting oil are not included in this ban.


As the epidemic spreads, many countries may successively issue ban policies on shipping and aviation, and sellers are advised to pay close attention.


In addition, many sellers have reported that due to the outbreak of the global epidemic, cross-border logistics have been greatly affected. Most private cross-border logistics have been suspended, and the cross-border logistics service providers that have been used have not yet opened for business.


The editor also learned that since February 29, 2020, Amazon CVG3 Fulfilent Center has been permanently closed, and the FBA SHIPMENT that has been generated at the CVG3 warehouse can no longer be delivered normally .

Problems faced by sellers

and countermeasures


Problems faced by sellers

After consulting various sellers, I found that everyone basically has the following problems:

1. Long international transport delivery cycle: fewer international flights.
2. High costs: increased shipping costs, increased labor costs, shortage of overseas shipping capacity, and tight air cargo space.
3. Low efficiency: Air transportation and customs clearance in the destination country are still unclear. Customs will disinfect and quarantine ships, and customs declaration and commodity inspection will also hinder the progress of international logistics to varying degrees.
4. It will take time for factories to resume production capacity after resuming work in China, which will affect replenishment plans, operation plans and sales strategies
5. Difficulties in delivery: affected by warehouse manpower, inventory of goods, traffic control, logistics supplier's service capabilities, etc.


How sellers can respond

As a cross-border e-commerce seller, in this situation, everyone will be in danger. How to solve the current problem has become a difficult problem facing sellers! The editor has collected the views of various sellers on this epidemic and compiled the following suggestions for dealing with the epidemic to provide some reference for everyone.


logistics

1. Maintain close contact with shipping companies and airlines to understand their capacity recovery status, and promptly learn about overseas policy changes through overseas local teams to ensure smooth cross-border logistics;
2. Pay close attention to the operation of the goods in the logistics company and communicate with the logistics company in time if any abnormal situation occurs;
3. Pay attention to the epidemic situation and make logistics arrangements based on overseas policy changes;
4. Sellers with strong financial strength can start to set up overseas warehouses. The goods are shipped from local warehouses, and the logistics conditions are relatively good.


operations

1. Contact factories and suppliers as soon as possible, check inventory in time, and adjust inventory sales strategies appropriately;
2. Adjust the freight template in time to avoid unnecessary losses;
3. For areas where delivery to Italy is clearly unavailable, sellers must screen out the areas and actively communicate with buyers. Otherwise, when the packages are sent to Italy, they may be piled up and unable to be delivered or lost.
4. Pay close attention to the platform's policies during the epidemic. If you encounter difficulties that are difficult to solve, you can try to contact the platform official or the investment manager;
5. After the epidemic, consumers' attention to health will increase rapidly, and they can consider health care products, medical supplies, outdoor products, etc. when selecting products.

Many sellers have reported that the order volume has dropped sharply recently. Some sellers even complained that the sales volume dropped only after the supply was replenished, and the inventory pressure was also very high. So I hope the above suggestions can give sellers some ideas. At the same time, I hope that all sellers will always pay attention to the epidemic situation and the relevant policies of the destination country to formulate reasonable response strategies.

If you have any good suggestions, please leave a message to discuss~


Text ✎ Xiyue/
Statement: When reprinting this article, the title and original text must not be modified, and the source and original link must be retained.

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