Win international customers with faster, more affordable shipping—here’s how

Today’s global shoppers expect speed. In fact, 61% of international consumers say they want next-day delivery on all their purchases—but for many e-commerce businesses, high shipping costs and logistics challenges make it difficult to compete.

The good news? Shippo and DHL Express make expedited international shipping faster, more affordable, and easier to manage—helping businesses build customer loyalty while expanding their global reach. 

Here are five ways you can optimize your international shipping strategy to keep customers happy and coming back.

1. Speed up fulfillment with express shipping

In today’s fast-paced e-commerce world, slow shipping is a dealbreaker. Customers expect their orders quickly, regardless of where they’re located, and failing to meet these expectations could send them to a competitor.

A DHL Express survey found that 61% of international shoppers expect next-day delivery on all their purchases, making speed a key factor in customer satisfaction. DHL Express helps businesses meet this demand with 2-3 day transit times to most global markets, allowing merchants to keep up with rising expectations.

But fast transit times aren’t enough—you also need to streamline how quickly you process and fulfill orders. This is where Shippo helps businesses move even faster. With quick rate comparisons, label generation, and streamlined customs paperwork, merchants can process international shipments quickly and efficiently—getting packages out the door as soon as possible.

📍 Pro Tip: Automate your shipping workflows in Shippo to eliminate manual steps and reduce fulfillment time.

2. Reduce the cost of expedited international shipping

High shipping costs often deter businesses from offering expedited international shipping as these costs can eat into profit margins—but express shipping is crucial for staying competitive.

However, fast international shipping doesn’t have to break the bank. Through Shippo, businesses can save up to 63% off DHL Express labels, allowing them to offer faster delivery without significantly impacting their bottom line.

By reducing the cost of express shipping, merchants can stay competitive, attract more international buyers, and increase conversions—all while maintaining healthy margins.

📍 Pro Tip: Use Shippo’s discounted DHL rates to keep shipping affordable while offering the fastest options.

3. Build trust with a recognizable shipping provider

When it comes to online shopping, trust is everything. Customers want to feel confident that their orders will arrive safely and on time. In fact, 70% of shoppers prefer to know which carrier is delivering their package, and an astonishing 95% of shoppers abandon a purchase if their preferred shipping option isn’t available.

For international orders, this trust factor becomes even more important. DHL Express operates in over 220 territories worldwide, making it one of the most recognizable and reliable global carriers. When customers see that their order will be shipped with a provider they trust, they’re far more likely to complete their purchase and return for future orders.

📍 Pro Tip: Highlight your use of DHL Express on product pages or checkout screens to increase conversions.

4. Improve customer satisfaction with more delivery choices

Shipping is not just about speed and cost—flexibility matters too. Customers want control over how and when they receive their orders, and providing multiple delivery options can significantly improve their experience.

With DHL’s On Demand Delivery (ODD) service, customers can choose from six alternative delivery options, including:
✅ Rescheduling delivery for a more convenient time
✅ Redirecting the package to a different address
✅ Holding the shipment at a secure location for pickup

Beyond delivery flexibility, keeping customers informed throughout the shipping process is just as important. DHL provides real-time tracking updates in 45+ languages, which helps reduce the number of “Where is my order?” (WISMO) inquiries that merchants receive.

Shippo complements this by automating tracking notifications, ensuring customers are proactively updated from checkout to final delivery. This transparency builds trust, reduces customer service workload, and increases post-purchase satisfaction.

 📍 Pro Tip: Customize your tracking emails in Shippo with branded messaging to create a loyalty-building post-purchase experience.

5. Streamline your international shipping process

One of the biggest challenges of international shipping is dealing with customs, documentation, and compliance requirements. Without an efficient process in place, businesses can run into delays, compliance issues, and frustrated customers.

Shippo simplifies this by automating customs paperwork and pre-filling forms, ensuring accurate documentation for every international order. This reduces manual errors, speeds up customs clearance, and prevents unnecessary delays.

By removing the friction from customs processing, merchants can focus on growth instead of worrying about logistics issues—and customers can receive their orders without unexpected hold-ups.

Put your international shipping strategy into action

Global shoppers expect speed, and offering expedited international shipping is one of the best ways to build customer loyalty and increase conversions. 

With DHL Express and Shippo, businesses can ship faster, cut costs, and provide an experience that keeps customers coming back. Whether you’re just starting to expand internationally or looking to improve your shipping strategy, now is the time to take action and optimize your shipping for global success.

Enable DHL Express in your Shippo account today by heading to your Carrier Settings page and clicking “Activate Account” under DHL Express.