由 caicai8478 Amid the booming global trade and cross-border e-commerce, cross-border express delivery has become a core requirement for businesses and consumers: “efficiency, low cost, and traceability.” However, the traditional cross-border express delivery model, characterized by “multiple separate tickets and multiple links,” often leads to process bottlenecks, rising costs, and a poor user experience. The “Single-Ticket Package” approach, by integrating a single ticket throughout the entire delivery process, precisely addresses this core challenge and represents the optimal integrated solution.
First, let’s clarify: What does “Single-Ticket Package” mean for cross-border express delivery?
“Single-Ticket Package” is not simply “single-ticket packaging.” Rather, it refers to an integrated packaging model that utilizes a single tracking number, customs declaration document, and single packaging process from the shipment’s origin (e.g., a domestic merchant’s warehouse) to the shipment’s destination (e.g., an overseas consumer). This model encompasses the entire delivery process from domestic collection to trunk transportation, customs clearance, and declaration to overseas delivery. Its core features are “three unifications”: unified logistics tracking number (full traceability), unified declaration entity (avoiding information gaps at multiple stages), and unified packaging standards (adapting to transportation and customs clearance requirements in different countries). This completely breaks down the fragmented “domestic, international, and overseas” segments in the traditional model.
II. Pain Points of the Traditional Cross-Border Express Model: Highlighting the Necessity of “Single-Ticket to Global Delivery”
To understand the advantages of “single-ticket to global delivery,” we must first understand the core problem of the traditional cross-border express delivery model—the “efficiency loss” and “cost waste” caused by the fragmentation of multiple stages:
Fragmented processes and inefficient connections: Under the traditional model, express shipments must undergo the “domestic express delivery (multi-ticket consolidation)” → splitting by international logistics providers → individual customs declarations → international trunk line transportation → re-sorting by overseas logistics providers → overseas delivery.” Each stage requires re-verification of information and repackaging. The “domestic consolidation to global delivery” stage alone can take 1-3 days, and is prone to errors and missed orders. Costs accumulate, and hidden expenses are high: Multiple stages of unbundling mean “multiple packaging (domestic packaging → international reinforcement → overseas repackaging), multiple manual operations (sorting, checking, labeling), and multiple document costs (multiple customs declarations and clearance documents).” According to industry statistics, the costs of “unbundling + repeated operations” under the traditional model account for 15%-20% of the total cost of cross-border express delivery, far exceeding the “one-ticket-through” model.
Information gaps and traceability difficulties: Under the traditional model, the domestic segment uses the domestic logistics tracking number, the international segment uses the international logistics tracking number, and the overseas segment uses the overseas delivery tracking number. Consumers must switch between multiple platforms to check logistics status. In the event of lost items or customs clearance delays, due to the “multiple tickets corresponding to multiple stages” process, responsibility is unclear, and problem resolution can take 3-7 days, severely impacting the user experience.
High customs clearance risks and slow efficiency: Traditionally, multiple express shipments often require “aggregate declaration” or “split declaration” for each shipment, which can lead to customs delays due to “discrepancies between declared information and actual items” and “inconsistent documentation.” In some countries (such as the EU and the US), the inspection rate for “split shipments” is as high as 20%, far exceeding the inspection rate of less than 5% for “single-shipment” shipments.
III. The Core Advantages of “One-Ticket-Through” Delivery: Precisely Addressing the Pain Points of the Cross-Border Express Delivery Chain
Compared to traditional models, the “One-Ticket-Through” delivery method offers significant advantages in efficiency, cost, experience, and risk control through full-chain integration. This is reflected in four key areas:
- Process Streamlining: Reducing connection time by over 50%, improving overall delivery time.
The “One-Ticket-Through” delivery method eliminates the need for multiple process steps, resulting in improved efficiency.
Domestic: Shipments are packaged directly based on the “overseas delivery address + destination country customs clearance standards” at the time of dispatch, eliminating the need for secondary splitting and consolidation. After domestic collection, shipments can be directly connected to international trunk shipping, eliminating the 1-3 days of time required for splitting and verification at the consolidation warehouse.
Customs Clearance: Since each shipment corresponds to a single customs declaration document (including commercial invoice, declaration elements, and recipient information), customs clearance agencies can access all information directly through a unified tracking number, eliminating the need for ticket-by-ticket verification. This reduces customs clearance time from the traditional 2-5 days to 1-2 days. Days;
Overseas: Overseas couriers can complete delivery directly based on the original order number without re-sorting and labeling, eliminating the 0.5-1 day delay associated with secondary sorting at overseas warehouses.
According to a cross-border logistics company, for the same route (e.g., from Guangzhou in China to Los Angeles in the United States), the “one-ticket-through” model improves average delivery time by 30%-40% compared to traditional methods. Express shipments that previously took 7-10 days can now be shortened to 4-6 days. 2. Cost Optimization: Reduce Overall Logistics Costs by 15%-25%
“One-Stop Delivery” reduces costs across the entire express delivery chain by reducing duplication and resource waste:
Direct Cost Reductions: Only packaging materials are required once (avoiding the waste of multiple-packaging cartons and cushioning materials), customs documents are required once (eliminating the document preparation and review costs of multiple declarations), and manual operations are performed once (reducing the labor costs of sorting and labeling). This reduces the direct cost of each express delivery by 8-15 yuan.
Hidden Cost Savings: Due to unified information across the entire delivery chain, the lost shipment rate has dropped from the traditional 2%-3% to below 0.5%, reducing lost shipment claim costs by 70%. Furthermore, customs clearance delays are reduced, avoiding penalties from cross-border e-commerce platforms for overdue deliveries (for example, the Amazon FBA overdue confiscation rate can be reduced to below 1%).
- Experience Improvement: Full-Chain Visibility, Clear Accountability
“One-Ticket-to-End” breaks down information barriers across the entire chain through a unified tracking number:
Consumers: With just one tracking number, they can track “domestic collection → trunk transport location → customs clearance progress → overseas delivery track” on a single platform (e.g., the logistics provider’s official website, e-commerce backend), eliminating the need to switch between multiple platforms.
Enterprises: Logistics providers and merchants can monitor data across the entire chain through a unified system. In the event of anomalies (e.g., customs clearance holdups, delivery delays), the responsible link (e.g., customs clearance document issues, overseas delivery point issues) can be quickly identified, improving problem resolution time by over 60%. 4. Enhanced Compliance: Reduced Customs Clearance and Policy Risks
One of the core risks of cross-border express delivery is customs compliance. “One-stop delivery” mitigates this risk through standardized declaration and packaging:
Unified Declaration: “One-stop delivery” requires that the product name, HS code, quantity, and value be clearly stated at the time of shipment, and that these details fully match the customs declaration and logistics tracking number. This prevents customs detentions due to false declarations.
Adaptable Policies: To address different countries’ logistics policies (such as EU IOSS tax declarations and US FDA food declarations), “One-stop delivery” can proactively incorporate compliance requirements into the packaging and declaration process (e.g., affixing IOSS labels and attaching FDA certification documents). Traditional, separate delivery models, with their multiple links, can easily miss compliance requirements, leading to shipment returns.
IV. Key Steps in Implementing the “One-Ticket-to-End” Packaging Method
To implement the “One-Ticket-to-End” method, breakthroughs must be made in three key areas: standardization, informatization, and collaboration, building a complete, integrated support system:
Standardized Operation System:
Packaging Standards: Standardize the use of packaging that is “suitable for international transport and customs clearance in the destination country” (e.g., moisture-proof cartons and packages with bilingual warning labels) to prevent returns from overseas customs due to non-compliant packaging.
Information Standards: Standardize the logistics tracking number encoding rules (e.g., including “shipping country code + customs clearance type + verification code”) to ensure recognition across all systems. Standardize declaration templates (e.g., fill in product information by HS code classification) to avoid information discrepancies.
Informatization System Support:
Build a “full-chain visualization system” to achieve real-time data exchange from “tracking number generation – pickup scanning – trunk line tracking – customs clearance data synchronization – overseas delivery updates.” For example, domestic logistics providers’ systems need to be integrated with those of international trunk carriers (such as airlines and shipping companies), overseas customs clearance agencies, and overseas delivery outlets to ensure consistent tracking of all order numbers.
Multi-party Collaboration:
“Single-ticket tracking” requires a collaborative network among logistics providers (domestic and international), customs brokers, and overseas delivery outlets. For example, after domestic pickup, logistics providers directly synchronize customs declaration data with customs brokers, eliminating manual transmission delays. Upon arrival of international trunk shipments, overseas delivery outlets can directly access delivery information through their systems, eliminating the need for secondary verification.
V. Conclusion: “Single-ticket tracking” is the inevitable choice for integrated cross-border express delivery.
Under the trend of cross-border logistics prioritizing efficiency, cost-consciousness, and user experience, the traditional “multi-ticket splitting” model no longer meets demand. The “One-stop delivery” model, through full-chain integration, standardized operations, and integrated information technology, not only addresses the pain points of the traditional model—process fragmentation, high costs, and difficulty in traceability—but also meets the core demands of cross-border e-commerce and B2B trade for efficiency, compliance, and control.
In the future, with the digitalization of global logistics (such as blockchain traceability and AI-powered customs clearance and declaration), the “One-stop delivery” model will be further upgraded to “full-chain intelligent integration,” becoming the mainstream model in the cross-border express delivery sector and providing more solid logistics support for global trade.