Expand and excel - international shipping solutions for Aussie fashion brands

Australian brands expand into international markets for a variety of reasons – chief amongst them the sheer size of markets beyond our shores. With new markets come new challenges - how do you ensure that you find the right international shipping solutions to ensure your brand is represented well, and overseas customers are satisfied? 

From the choices available at checkout, to packaging and selection of carrier, breaking into cross-border eCommerce shipping can be overwhelming. In the case of Australian fashion brands, there’s plenty of demand from international buyers. “We serve 90 countries worldwide from our little operation here in Rosebery,” explains Patrick Callanan, Director of Operations, SIR.  

What international buyers want 

It’s not only product, pricing and positioning that attract international customers. Shipping and delivery speed also play an important part in buying decisions. The top reasons shoppers buy from an international online seller are:  

• affordability (47%) 
• variety offered by a brand (37%) 
• quality higher than in their local market (28%) 
• low shipping costs (27%); and  
• fast delivery (26%).¹  

Once you’ve won a new customer, there are some key aspects that will have them coming back time and time again. Product satisfaction and deliveries arriving in the expected time are top of the list. When shopping online with an international retailer, the leading factors in customer retention are:  

• being happy with the product (59%) 
• delivery time matching their expectations (45%) 
• final cost of purchase being clear (43%) 
• an easy and streamlined shopping experience (43%); and  
• efficient customer service (28%).¹  

Selecting eCommerce international shipping solutions 

International online purchases are rising. The countries with the highest number of purchases from Australian brands (across all industries) include New Zealand, China, India, South Korea, Canada, US, UK and Southeast Asia (including Malaysia and Indonesia).² Each country has its own unique customs requirements and logistics challenges, and finding reliable delivery partners for global shipping is vital.  

It’s imperative the experiences that make your brand trusted and unique carry over into international delivery experiences, especially for fashion brands. “Speed is always important, but quality is equally or more important to our international customers. We spend a lot of time preparing SIR. packages, adding tissue paper and making sure there are no flaws, to ensure that experience is special for our customers,” explains Patrick.  

Let’s take a look at four key aspects of assessing international shipping solutions: price, speed, returns and customer experience. 

Price 

50% of people who shop online with an Australian retailer abandon cart if shipping is too expensive.¹  

The SIR. team have explored cost effective ways to ship fashion products internationally. “There's obviously a lot of talent at Australia Post,” says Patrick. “They've been an open book, sharing information on performance and lead times on current lanes into international markets. They’ve said: Hey, listen, this country in particular over the last six months has jumped in KPIs and DIFOT [delivery in full on time] performance. We're getting more volume and economies of scale, so we can offer this price and these delivery times.” 

TIP: Find a shipping partner who’ll work with you to find economies of scale and is constantly innovating to provide price protection. 

Speed 

42% of people who shop online with an international retailer abandon cart if the delivery time is too lengthy.¹  

Getting intentional about shipping and stock management enables your business to get products into customers’ hands as quickly as possible. “It's too overwhelming to bite off 100 countries,” says Patrick.  

He identified priority channels and worked with Australia Post on identifying cost-effective products, in addition to integrations, to increase speed of delivery. “We're looking at the possibility of being able to ship from store internationally with Australia Post. We can tap into the stores to make the stock work faster and turn it into cash more quickly, which is really important,” he says.

Each country has its own requirements and Australia Post supports SIR. to navigate customs regulations for sending fashion products overseas. 

TIP: Balancing speed of delivery with price requires an understanding of your unique customers. If your customers have varying wants, you may need to segment customers and offer options at checkout for cost-effective and standard delivery, or slightly more expensive and express delivery. Find a delivery partner with existing infrastructure to help you deliver for your customers seamlessly. 

Returns 

26% of people who shop online with an Australian retailer abandon cart if the returns policy isn’t clear.¹ Deciding how to handle returns is especially important for international fashion orders.  

SIR. dedicates an entire website page to returns. It’s a masterclass in how to handle returns for international fashion orders. It outlines in detail if and how returns and refunds can be accessed for particular product types, payment types, full price and sale items, and the costs for using return postage labels. There are step-by-step guides for returning items by post and in-store.  

Leveraging Australia Post’s returns options streamlines processes for both your team and your customers. Return labels can be easily supplied to be printed at home or at a Post Office. Returns can be lodged at one of 20,000+ locations. eParcel Contract customers can dive deeper into analytics and expand your returns options further with Returns Portal Plus. 

TIP: It’s worthwhile testing how your returns policy impacts sales conversions. Choosing a shipping partner who can help facilitate returns puts you ahead of the competition.  

Customer experience 

45% of international shoppers say delivery needs to match the timeline communicated in order to buy from an Australian online retailer again¹ and 71% of people buying from Australia say that clear information about delivery charges pre-purchase is very important.²  

“We really want to exceed customer expectations and deliver on that SIR. customer promise. We can't have things go around the world and go missing. Australia Post knows our customers as well as we do and collaborates with us to create the customer experience they demand,” says Patrick.  

Using Australia Post integrations you can connect your systems from checkout to delivery, so that from the moment a customer places an order, you start communicating with them about the progress of their parcel. Shipping updates can be automatically sent to customers so there’s no need for them to contact your team, and their expectations are managed. Consider scheduling additional communications to newer customers, as they’re most likely to have enquiries.  

TIP: The infrastructure your chosen shipping partner has in place to keep you and your customers up to date has significant impact on customer satisfaction and retention. Automating delivery updates reduces customer service enquiries and pressure on your team and improves customer sentiment.  

Finding reliable delivery partners for global shipping 

When it comes to cross border ecommerce shipping it’s not simply a question of finding the cheapest way to ship internationally from Australia. It’s essential that the shipping partner you select supports your business to grow. They should be dedicated to ongoing innovation to deliver an exceptional customer experience at the right price. 

Beyond the day-to-day, there are programs like WeWearAustralian, which is supported by Australia Post. WeWearAustralian was founded in 2020 to champion Australian fashion brands both at home and internationally. In 2025 WeWearAustralian, with Australia Post’s support, is showcasing 10 Australian fashion brands at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) with an immersive retail experience. Consumers can win prizes including tickets to NYFW and a $5,000 designer wardrobe by making a purchase with registered brands and entering a competition.  

Building a strong relationship with your shipping partner gives you access to experts who can share the best solutions for your unique business, products and shipping lanes. You can rely on them for advice on everything from packaging to the best options to offer your customers and easy ways to keep customers informed. “It's a real team effort. At one stage I didn't know whether they were working for Australia Post or working for SIR. It was all one collaboration. It gives us confidence,” says Patrick.