Federal Express Corporation (FedEx), one of the world's largest express transportation companies, said businesses across Asia Pacific (APAC) and Europe are optimistic about stronger holiday sales this year, with many in APAC preparing early to meet cross-border demand.
The logistics giant released insights from a recent survey exploring trends and sentiment around the year-end festive shopping season conducted in September 2025 with insights from 850 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and 850 consumers across 13 APAC markets (including Hong Kong), along with over 1,200 SMEs across 9 European markets.
"The findings reveal strong optimism, with over 70% of APAC businesses and over 80% of European businesses expecting better holiday sales compared to last year," FedEx said in a statement.
"APAC businesses are already gearing up for robust cross-border demand from Europe during the year-end shopping season, with many beginning preparations as early as September."
Ecommerce continues to fuel growth
FedEx noted that cross-border ecommerce and major online shopping festivals continue to fuel demand.
This year, 88% of APAC consumers plan to conduct at least a quarter of their holiday shopping online, and 53% intend to increase their online activity compared to last year.
Shopping festivals such as Double 11, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are especially influential, with 83% of Asian shoppers factoring these events into their holiday purchase planning.
It said that SMEs are adjusting their strategies accordingly, with 91% of APAC businesses and 83% of European businesses viewing e-commerce shopping festivals as critical for capturing seasonal demand.
While appetite for European goods is strong among APAC shoppers, more product choices, competitive delivery speed, and costs remain top of mind.
The study found that nearly nine in ten APAC shoppers say efficient shipping is essential when purchasing holiday gifts online.
However, delayed deliveries (55%) and elevated shipping costs (45%) are the primary pain points from previous seasons, underscoring the need for e-tailers to optimize logistics performance and customer experience.
These concerns directly impact purchasing decisions. More than half of APAC consumers indicate that lower shipping costs (53%) and faster delivery times (50%) would increase their likelihood of buying from European sellers.
Meanwhile, the report said nearly one-third of APAC (29%) and European (33%) businesses are enhancing their fulfillment and delivery operations to better support cross-border demand, while over one-third (34%) of APAC and (32%) of European firms are strengthening their customer service capabilities.
Encouragingly, 85% of businesses in both APAC and Europe say they are confident about meeting delivery deadlines during this year’s holiday season.
"In Asia Pacific, the festive gifting season stretches well beyond Christmas and into Lunar New Year, creating one of the world's most dynamic windows for cross-border commerce," said Salil Chari, senior vice president, Marketing and Customer Experience, FedEx Asia Pacific.
"With e-commerce surging across APAC and Europe, e-tailers are gearing up to maximize sales. Through our extensive network and smart, intuitive digital solutions, we're helping businesses on both sides deliver exceptional customer experiences, streamline logistics particularly during the business holiday season, and succeed in an increasingly competitive landscape."
To support e-tailers to streamline order fulfillment with the expected growth in demand, FedEx said it has expanded its ecommerce integrations with platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce, allowing APAC and Hong Kong merchants to manage shipments directly from online orders.
Services such as FedEx International Connect Plus offer cost‑effective delivery within Asia Pacific and to the U.S. and Europe in one to three business days. The company has also built a network of about 260,000 smart lockers across APAC and provides tools like Delivery Manager International and Picture of Proof Delivery to support flexible, trackable last‑mile service.
