Connect with us

Technology

Avalara Survey Finds Hidden Fees Stifle Cross-Border Consumers

Published

2 years ago

on

More than two-thirds (68%) of consumers surveyed aged 16-24 have experienced ‘surprise’ costs due to customs duties charges upon delivery when shopping internationallyThree quarters (75%) of consumers rethink shopping with a retailer after facing ‘surprise’ customs duties and taxesAlmost half (49%) refuse delivery of a package with hidden costs altogether

DURHAM, N.C., July 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Avalara, Inc., a leading provider of tax compliance automation software for businesses of all sizes, today published new analysis exploring the impact of cross-border complexity on businesses and consumers globally. The findings highlight a growing disconnect between the global shopping aspirations of younger generations and the regulatory landscape of international trade.

Young consumers drive global shopping trends

The survey reveals that younger consumers are at the forefront of cross-border shopping. Around two-thirds of both the 16–24-year-old (63%) and 25-34-year-old (68%) age groups surveyed made international purchases in the last year, compared to only 41% of shoppers over the age of 55. Cross-border shopping is less common in the U.S. compared to other countries, with only 37% of American consumers making an international purchase in the last year. This contrasts with higher rates in other nations: 55% in the UK, 68% in India, and 80% in Denmark. However, even in the U.S., younger consumers are embracing global shopping trends, with 51% of Americans surveyed aged 16-24 noting that they’ve made cross-border purchases within the last year.

These younger consumers are drawn to the expanded product range (52%), quality (50%), and affordability (42%) offered by the global marketplace, with clothing (68%), electronics (44%), health and beauty products (46%), and jewelry (30%) topping the list of cross-border purchases.

Hidden costs lead to cart abandonment and lost sales

While consumer appetite for international shopping grows, businesses face significant hurdles in meeting this demand. Key challenges include customs duty calculations, import regulations, trade restrictions, and complex shipping requirements. As companies hesitate to expand internationally due to these barriers, consumers find themselves with a narrower range of products available to choose from.

These regulatory challenges directly impact the consumer experience. Consumers surveyed say their top reasons for cart abandonment in cross-border shopping are expensive shipping, long delivery times, and unclear final costs at checkout. Exacerbating the issue, 75% of businesses surveyed use Delivered at Place shipping, leaving customers responsible for unexpected customs clearance, duties, and taxes upon delivery. 30% of businesses surveyed globally exclusively use this approach, despite it being a key pain point for consumers.

The consequences are stark: 58% of consumers that buy cross-border products report surprise customs charges upon delivery, with 30% describing these costs as “shocking.” This lack of transparency significantly impacts customer loyalty, with 75% of shoppers reconsidering future purchases from a business after experiencing hidden, surprise fees due to customs duties charges when chopping cross-border, while nearly half refuse delivery altogether.

Younger shoppers disproportionately affected

Despite their enthusiasm for global shopping, younger consumers bear the brunt of these cross-border complexities. Of those who have made an international purchase in the last 12 months, more than two-thirds (68%) of 16–24-year-olds experienced surprise costs due to customs duties, compared to only 35% of shoppers over age 55.

“No one wants a jump scare at the checkout – or when your package has made it all the way to your doorstep,” said Craig Reed, GM, Cross-Border at Avalara. “As global ecommerce continues to grow, driven by younger generations’ shopping habits, it’s clear that businesses need to better manage and streamline their cross-border compliance requirements if they are to thrive in a fast-evolving digital marketplace.”

Avalara provides an end-to-end platform to address cross-border tax compliance — from tariff code classifications to customs duty and import tax calculations and more. To learn more about how Avalara automates cross-border tax compliance requirements for businesses, visit avalara.com.

About Avalara

Avalara makes tax compliance faster, easier, more accurate, and more reliable for 41,000+ business and government customers in over 75 countries. Tax compliance automation software solutions from Avalara leverage 1,200+ signed partner integrations across leading ecommerce, ERP, and other billing systems to power tax calculations, document management, tax return filing, and tax content access. Visit avalara.com to improve your compliance journey.

Methodology
The research was conducted by Censuswide, with 8,242 consumers (1023 in the UK, 1033 in the US, 1077 in India, 1059 in Brazil, 1003 in Australia, 1021 in Canada, 1026 in Mexico and 1,000 in Denmark between 10.05.2024 – 16.05.2024 and 4003 18+ senior business decision-makers within businesses / retailers that trade and / or sell goods cross-border per market US (500 respondents), UK (500 respondents), India (500 respondents), Brazil (502 respondents), Australia (500 respondents), Canada (500 respondents), Mexico (501 respondents), and Denmark (500 respondents) between 13.05.2024 – 24.05.2024. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2407832/Avalara_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/avalara-survey-finds-hidden-fees-stifle-cross-border-consumers-302191674.html

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Technology

Envision Marks First International Application of SAFc at Global Citizen NOW, Providing Environmental Attributes Corresponding to 10 Tonnes of CO₂ Emissions Reductions

Published

29 minutes ago

on

October 29, 2026

By

SYDNEY, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Envision, a global leader in green technology, expanded its Sustainable Aviation Fuel certificate (SAFc) solution internationally as the Sustainability Partner of Global Citizen NOW: Perth. This marks the company’s first international application of SAFc, demonstrating a practical pathway to integrate aviation decarbonization into the sustainability practices of major global events.

For this event, Envision delivered environmental attributes corresponding to 10 tonnes of CO₂ emissions reductions. These reductions are linked to the actual production and use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with the associated attributes recorded and retired through a leading global Registry to ensure transparency and traceability.

Alongside this initiative, Envision’s Australian team participated in the event’s broader programme, including discussions on clean energy investment and industrial decarbonisation, bilateral meetings, and the Capital Mobilization Roundtable and Masterclass. Through these engagements, the team exchanged perspectives with leaders from business, investment and the climate community on Western Australia’s potential role in the next-generation green industries, while exploring opportunities to strengthen collaboration, mobilize investment and accelerate the clean energy transition.

Co-hosted by Global Citizen and the Government of Western Australia, the summit took place ahead of COP31, convening representatives from governments, businesses, philanthropic foundations, and First Nations communities to advance clean energy access, climate resilience, and inclusive economic development.

The Perth SAFc initiative builds on Envision’s SAFc application at the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen in September, where the company demonstrated how SAFc could address the air-travel emissions of a major conference. Global Citizen NOW: Perth represents the next step—applying this model internationally and demonstrating its potential as a scalable solution for companies and major events seeking to tackle aviation-related emissions across global value chains.

The initiative also reflects Envision’s broader approach to corporate decarbonisation. Across wind and solar power, energy storage, green molecules, net-zero industrial parks, and green computing, Envision is developing integrated solutions to help companies tackle emissions across their operations and value chains.

“Envision will continue to explore the application of green fuels across aviation and international events, foster collaboration throughout the green fuel value chain, and support aviation’s low-carbon transition through transparent, traceable environmental attribute management,” said Bella Zhang, Head of Global SAF at Envision.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/envision-marks-first-international-application-of-safc-at-global-citizen-now-providing-environmental-attributes-corresponding-to-10-tonnes-of-co-emissions-reductions-302923213.html

SOURCE Envision

Continue Reading

Technology

More Than Business: ChinaMarket’s “Little Bees” Go the Extra Mile for International Buyers

Published

29 minutes ago

on

October 29, 2026

By

LINYI, China, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — When a Malaysian buyer experienced a sudden toothache during the Linyi Mall International Buyers Conference in China, he found help in an unexpected place.

A member of ChinaMarket‘s “Little Bees” service team, Chen Fuqing, promptly accompanied him to a local hospital and assisted him throughout the visit.

It was a small act of kindness, but it reflected something important about doing business in Linyi: international buyers have people they can turn to when they need help.

During the international buyers conference, ChinaMarket established its “Little Bees” service team to assist overseas visitors throughout their stay in Linyi.

From welcoming international buyers and arranging market visits to connecting them with suppliers, helping bridge language barriers, and responding to unexpected situations, the team works to make the sourcing experience easier and more comfortable.

Linyi is home to one of China’s major wholesale market clusters, attracting buyers from around the world with its diverse products, manufacturing resources, and extensive supply chains.

As the official digital platform of Linyi Wholesale Market, ChinaMarket connects global buyers with Chinese suppliers and provides integrated sourcing and trade services.

For international buyers, successful sourcing involves more than finding the right products. Clear communication, reliable coordination, and access to support are equally important.

The “Little Bees” team brings this commitment to life through personal, on-the-ground assistance.

A recent song released by ChinaMarket captures the spirit of the city:

“Come to Linyi, a city that welcomes you with open arms.”

In Linyi, global buyers can discover business opportunities, build partnerships, and experience the warmth of genuine hospitality.

Come to Linyi. Source with ChinaMarket.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/more-than-business-chinamarkets-little-bees-go-the-extra-mile-for-international-buyers-302923217.html

SOURCE ChinaMarket

Continue Reading

Technology

UnionPay and Cuscal Paymark Discuss Payment Acceptance and Digital Innovation

Published

29 minutes ago

on

October 29, 2026

By

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mr. Dong Junfeng, Chairman of China UnionPay and UnionPay International, met with Cuscal Paymark, in Auckland on 19 October 2026 to discuss expanding UnionPay acceptance in New Zealand and opportunities for cooperation in digital payments. Mr. Mike Blomfield, Chief Executive Officer and Julia Nicol, Chief of Staff expressed support UnionPay’s plans and the advancement of key projects.

Cuscal Paymark is New Zealand’s largest payment switching and network services provider. The two parties have maintained a partnership since 2012.  To date, several major banks on its network support UnionPay payments at physical merchants. The company has also incorporated a number of UnionPay product standards into mandatory terminal upgrade requirements, providing a foundation for broader acceptance. Looking ahead, UnionPay will leverage Cuscal Paymark’s local network and transaction processing capabilities to upgrade online and in-store payment platforms and further improve UnionPay acceptance services.

Discussions also covered upgrades to support chip transactions on dual-branded cards, online payment gateway integration, and the joint promotion of SoftPOS solutions to acquirers. The companies agreed to strengthen technical coordination to maintain reliable payment processing during and after system upgrades.

Other topics included agentic payments, digital identity, biometric applications, and payment network connectivity.

Ms. Nicol reaffirmed Cuscal Paymark’s support for UnionPay’s ongoing development in New Zealand and the advancement of key projects. Both parties agreed to explore further cooperation in wallet connectivity and digital payments.

UnionPay entered the New Zealand market in 2008. Its acceptance coverage now exceeds 90%, and UnionPay cards are now widely issued by local financial institutions. UnionPay will continue working with partners to improve payment services, strengthen financial integration between China and other APEC economies, and advance cross-border payment cooperation between China and New Zealand and across the broader Asia-Pacific region.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/unionpay-and-cuscal-paymark-discuss-payment-acceptance-and-digital-innovation-302923215.html

SOURCE UnionPay International

Continue Reading

Trending