New network to help retailers take off for new markets

A new network has been formed in order to help retailers considering selling abroad.

The Global Retail Insights Network aims to provide resources for companies in areas from marketing, payments, logistics, currency exchange, tax and duty compliance.


The coalition includes fraud specialist Kount, payments company Global Collect, currency exchange specialists E4X, distribution company Pitney Bowes, Translations.com and Edgar, Dunn & Company, with strategic analysis and business guidance.

Jack Alton, vice president of sales for Kount, said: “The increase of ecommerce worldwide has led to an increase in online card fraud and cybercrime is becoming ever more sophisticated. In the UK alone in 2012 the value of online sales was £78 billion and this is forecasted to rise by 11.5% in 2013 according to the IMRG.

“This has made the implementation of industry leading fraud prevention more important than ever. I believe however that fraud prevention can do so much more than just prevent fraud. With intelligent fraud prevention technology it can enhance the customer experience, increase sales and ultimately improve upon the bottom line for all online retailers.”

Craig Reed, vice president, global ecommerce for Pitney Bowes, said: “Launching a brand internationally is not a simple process and while it has tremendous upside, there are also unique challenges associated with cross-border commerce. One major challenge is not having a direct connection to the global consumer. From a delivery perspective, if a retailer isn’t the merchant of record, the challenges to your brand probably outweigh the benefits.

"As a member of the Global Retail Insights Network, Pitney Bowes will help merchants offer a simple and seamless online shopping experience to their customers, and focus on the most impactful global opportunities while providing the data to support on-going strategic growth.”