E-commerce is growing rapidly worldwide, especially in some retail sectors like electronics
and fashion and in developing economies like China and India. Moreover, cross-border
e-commerce will expand significantly as barriers to entry diminish, particularly in the
European Union and also in developing countries. According to the Forrester report, European
e-commerce will grow 10% a year and southern countries are promising markets as only 34%
of the online population buy online (70% in northern countries).
The fact is that efficiency of the supply chain operation is the major driver behind the
profitability of any e-commerce operation. In Europe, logistics cost of an average order is
evaluated between 20-30% of the total price.
On the other hand, the degree of efficiency and responsiveness of e-commerce operations
are changing physical distribution networks and requirements concerning logistics level of
service. In terms of service level, the supply chain expertise that a logistics operator needs for
a successful eFulfillment operation is several times higher than for a usual supply chain.
As for location of different types of warehouses utilized for e-commerce (mega eFulfillment
centers, parcel hubs, parcel delivery centers, return processing centers), in general they require
closer proximity to final markets and even consumption centers.
Consequently, find both the right logistics place and efficient operator are key success factors
for any e-commerce business.
In this context, e-commerce requirements benefit Barcelona’s position due to its:
• Proximity to South-European and Mediterranean/African markets
• Be the center of a large consumption area
• Have the biggest multimodal transport node (port, airport) and next logistics area in
southern Europe and the Mediterranean
• Industrial and commercial specialization in the most developed e-commerce sectors
• Skilled workforce, essential for a right e-commerce logistics.
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