DHL eCommerce has launched a partnership in China with e-commerce platform Shopee to enable sellers in the country to access consumers in Thailand.

According to DHL eCommerce, it will be integrated with Shopee in China so sellers can sell and deliver on one single platform and keep track of all shipments directly using an app. An expansion of the partnership to other Southeast Asian markets is in the pipeline.

“Direct selling to overseas consumers has never been easier and has become a key growth driver for many businesses, with e-commerce as an easy platform to enable international expansion,” said Zhi Zheng [left in photo], managing director of DHL eCommerce Greater China and North Asia. “With logistics as a key enabler for cross-border retailing, we want to empower our customers to tap into this huge growth opportunity. Over the past few years, we have witnessed extremely strong growth of B2C parcels from China, mainly powered by e-commerce. We are pleased to partner Shopee to enable Chinese sellers to easily sell and deliver in Thailand, whether it’s doorstep delivery or for consumers to collect their orders from our growing network of easily accessible ServicePoints – which is set to reach over 1,000 in Thailand by end-2018.”

The e-commerce sector in the region has a CAGR of 32% between 2017 and 2025, and the market is expected to reach US$88 billion by 2025. In particular, the e-commerce gross merchandise revenue in Thailand will exceed US$5 billion by 2022, making it the second-largest e-commerce market in Southeast Asia.

Shopee sellers will enjoy seamless delivery from the pick-up location in China to the end consumer in Thailand. DHL eCommerce will offer its cash-on-delivery service for shoppers to pay for their purchases upon delivery.

“In recent years, we have witnessed the rapid development of Southeast Asia’s e-commerce market, and a growing number of Chinese brands and sellers are staking a claim in this e-commerce goldmine,” said Jianghong Liu [right in photo], head of cross-border e-commerce at Shopee. “However, the geographical complexity of this region has created some logistical challenges. As a leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, Shopee has built its Shopee Logistics Services, a highly efficient logistics delivery network that links China with Southeast Asia. We are delighted to work with DHL, the world’s leading logistics service provider, to grow SLS from strength to strength. Our collaboration will make Shopee the e-commerce platform of choice for cross-border sellers in China who aspire to sell into Southeast Asia.”

The SLS solution is currently operational in seven markets in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, according to Shopee.