Australian retailers must improve cross-border checkout clarity
Australian retailers are being advised by Global-e and DHL eCommerce executives to improve the cross-border checkout experience. Shoppers consider cost, payment method, delivery time and returns ease before buying internationally. Localisation goes beyond language translation, requiring retailers to tailor the entire purchase journey to the shopper’s market and make the experience feel considered for them.
Price transparency should begin while shoppers browse, not only at checkout, to avoid surprise charges that damage trust. Smith cautioned that showing duties and taxes only at checkout can come too late if the price rises between browsing and payment. Familiar payment methods, clear delivery expectations and understandable returns information help international shoppers feel the store is built for them. Duties, taxes and import rules affect the final price and whether parcels arrive as expected, requiring retailers to understand each destination’s regulations before entering a market. Retailers must also keep pace as regulations change and consider how local rules and local expectations affect the offer presented to customers. Accurate product information, landed‑cost calculations and proper customs documentation help prevent delays, extra fees or returns to origin. Missing or inaccurate shipment data can lead to customs holding parcels for inspection, causing delays, additional charges or a lack of visibility on where the parcel is. Operational execution must support the checkout promise through correct shipment data, compliant paperwork, strong carrier links and end‑to‑end visibility.
“What will this cost me? Can I pay the way I usually do? When will it arrive? If I need to return it, how easy is it?” Stewart Smith, MD of Asia Pacific at Global-e said.
“operational execution supports the promise made at checkout,” Denise McGrouther, MD of DHL eCommerce Australia said.
What we know
Stewart Smith, MD of Asia Pacific at Global-e, said shoppers bring four practical questions to an international purchase.
Denise McGrouther, MD of DHL eCommerce Australia, said the quality of information captured before dispatch matters just as much as the information shown to the shopper.
For Smith, price transparency should begin while shoppers are browsing, rather than introducing additional costs only at the final step.
Duties, taxes and import rules shape more than the work behind an international sale.
McGrouther said retailers need to ensure “operational execution supports the promise made at checkout”, through accurate shipment data, compliant documentation, strong carrier partnerships and visibility throughout the delivery journey.