They want to look at the main concerns and potential areas of development for cross-border delivery services, particularly to help businesses looking to trade online Europe – wide. One way to achieve this, is by having more efficient and affordable parcel delivery. But they can’t improve it on their own, they need your help. The Commission wants feedback from consumers, companies and associations. The online public consultation, launched in early May, involves filling out a questionnaire on the matter of cross-border parcel delivery, and will close on 29^th July.

Why is it important?

You may be asking, why are you drawing my attention to this? Well, for the executive body of the EU, it pretty important. This is largely because deliveries make up a major part of ecommerce. Let’s face it, the consumer of today is more demanding than ever (we’re all a bit guilty of it), and our expectations are much higher than they used to be when it comes to online shopping and the delivery of our purchases. According to recent figures issued by the Commission, more than 85% of e-shoppers said delivery price was the most important factor when buying online, while 62% of companies willing to sell online said high delivery costs were a problem.

The European Commission wants to encourage cross-border ecommerce even more. But, this can only happen if the cross-border delivery becomes easier for everyone involved.

The Commission have released some quite surprising facts – “only 7% of SMEs currently sell cross-border, and currently these small businesses face around EUR 9,000 in extra costs if they want to sell abroad, in adapting to national laws.”

What can you do?

The European Commission wants to consult all interested parties, including SMEs – your say could make a difference. All you have to do is complete the questionnaire in order to participate. Find the online questionnaire here to voice your opinions on the matter.