BorderGuru Makes International E-Commerce Viable for VENUS Fashion

CHICAGO - Dec. 16, 2015 - PRLog -- Hermes, a leading provider of end-to-end e-commerce services for fashion and lifestyle brands, announced today that swim and fashion retailer VENUS Fashions is using BorderGuru to ship online orders to Europe, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. BorderGuru, a service offering that makes it as easy for e-commerce retailers to sell and ship products internationally as domestically, currently facilitates shipping from the United States to all destinations worldwide. Shipping from Europe to the United States and China is on the horizon.

BorderGuru offers a full-service solution, using software that can be installed as a plugin or integrated into existing e-commerce or warehouse systems at no cost. At the point of order, BorderGuru can calculate and include shipping costs and taxes in the customer order. Then, based on client preference, BorderGuru either receives the package at its in-country consolidation hub or picks it up at the client’s distribution center. BorderGuru completes the export declaration and ships the package by air. Upon arrival, BorderGuru manages the import process, paying the required duties and taxes. BorderGuru has a network with best in class business-to-consumer (B2C) delivery companies in all regions. These last mile delivery partners are local champions, characterized by high delivery rates and customer satisfaction. This value proposition propelled BorderGuru’s parent company – Hermes – to the position of being a leading provider of e-commerce delivery services in Europe.

Notably, clients can customize the BorderGuru service to meet their own requirements. VENUS Fashions opted to have BorderGuru pick up packages at its facility and to collect duty at the time of customer package delivery rather than at the point of order.

“The biggest challenge for U.S. e-commerce retailers looking to expand internationally is the logistics economics,” says Jim Brewster, CEO of VENUS Fashions. “It is much easier and less expensive to deliver a package in North America than it is internationally. Each country has its own duty schedules and delivery rules, and there is much more expense involved. BorderGuru makes international shipping easy and economical.  Plus, BorderGuru has a great tracking system that lets us – and our customers – know the exact stage of package delivery at all times.”

Brewster continues, “We’ve always known there was a huge growth opportunity for us in other countries, but we didn’t pursue it because of the economics of shipping. BorderGuru makes shipping easy and affordable, allowing us to expand our business globally and sustain the overall high growth rate our company has enjoyed for the last six years.”

Uwe Bald, vice president of international development at Hermes, said, “So many retailers struggle with the dilemma of expanding their businesses globally because of the challenges they perceive related to package shipment and delivery. Cost is certainly a primary factor, but so, too, is complying with varying customs requirements and identifying reliable local carriers that can provide convenient customer package delivery options. BorderGuru eliminates all of these barriers to entry to the global marketplace by offering a full-service solution that manages the entire process from door-to-door at an economical price.”

About VENUS

VENUS is a true American business that began as a start-up in a college dormitory room in Florida. From this small beginning in 1982, our focus has been dedicated to fashion and fit. Because we recognize that every woman is unique, we pioneered "Mix and Match" within the swimsuit category to ensure we offered unique styles and custom combinations to fit every individual. Today, our values remain the same. From our Florida offices, our employees are dedicated to customer service. Whether we’re cutting and sewing the swimsuits you love, creating our fashion collections, responding to your questions by phone or online, or picking, wrapping, and sending each individual order seven days a week, our first priority is always customer service.

About Hermes

Hermes provides international logistics services to the retail industry. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Otto Group. The company is a leading specialist in retail-related services and partners with numerous distance sellers of all sizes. The range of services provided by the twelve Hermes companies embraces the full length of the supply chain: sourcing, quality assurance, transport, fulfillment and home delivery. In 2014, the Hermes Group grew its consolidated revenue to 2.230 billion euros and increased the number of employees to 12,470. In 2014, Hermes made more than 530 million deliveries to end customers, establishing Hermes as one of the leading B2C delivery companies in Europe. Hermes operates worldwide and has established country companies in Germany, the United Kingdom, United States, China, Russia, Italy and Austria. For further information, please visit newsroom.hermesworld.com.