Daily Cross-Border E-Commerce Briefing | June 10, 2025

1. FedEx Raises Fuel Surcharges, Pressuring International Shipping Costs
  • Starting June 9, FedEx increased its international fuel surcharge tables by roughly two percentage points, pushing export rates to 19.75% and import rates above 27%. The carrier cites a 14-month high in the global jet-fuel index, tighter cargo capacity, and sustained e-commerce parcel demand as key cost drivers. Independent merchants shipping from Asia to North America will see an immediate uptick in landed costs unless they update real-time rate calculators and renegotiate delivery-duty-paid (DDP) margins.
    Source: FedEx, Published on: June 9, 2025
2. Severe Congestion at European and Asian Hubs Drives 23–41-Hour Delays
  • Drewry’s latest Container Intelligence report shows average berth waiting times reaching 23 hours in Rotterdam and 41 hours in Antwerp, with queue lengths also rising in Shanghai and Singapore. Carriers are blanking calls or rerouting to Southampton, Bremerhaven, and Zeebrugge, which has inflated spot rates on Far East–North Europe lanes by 15% week-over-week. Longer dwell times are straining warehouse capacity and prompting shippers to front-load inventory ahead of the Q3 peak season.
    Source: Blueberries Consulting, Published on: June 10, 2025
3. Shopify Unveils AI-Based Store Designer in Summer ’25 “Horizons” Release
  • The Summer ’25 “Horizons” Edition introduces an AI Store Designer that builds a fully styled storefront from a single text prompt, blending Sidekick AI and Horizon theme presets. Shopify claims the tool can cut development time by 70%, generate multilingual sections automatically, and push finished code directly to production. Early beta tests show a 22% lift in time-on-site for pages created with the designer, highlighting its potential for rapid, SEO-friendly landing-page iteration.
    Source: WebPlanex, Published on: June 9, 2025
4. Sezzle Sues Shopify for Alleged Antitrust Violations
  • Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) provider Sezzle filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota, accusing Shopify of blocking rival payment buttons and enforcing punitive revenue-share terms through its Checkout extensibility program. The suit seeks treble damages and an injunction compelling Shopify to provide equal API access. If successful, the case could reopen the checkout ecosystem and lower payment costs for thousands of DTC merchants.
    Source: GlobeNewswire, Published on: June 9, 2025
5. TikTok Launches Smart+ & GMV Max to Boost Automated Ad Performance
  • At TikTok World ’25, the platform rolled out Smart+, Symphony-powered creative generation, and GMV Max budget automation for TikTok Shop sellers. Internal case studies show a 12% lift in add-to-cart rate and an 18% improvement in ROAS when Smart+ is paired with Catalog Ads. The suite also integrates a revamped Attribution Analytics dashboard, enabling merchants to track first-party pixel events and optimize bids in near real time.
    Source: Retail Asia, Published on: June 10, 2025
6. Lululemon to Raise Prices as New Tariffs Squeeze Margins
  • Facing fresh 30% duties on China-sourced apparel and 10% levies on other Asian imports, Lululemon plans “surgical” price increases in Q3 while boosting markdown budgets to defend sell-through. CFO Meghan Frank warned that gross margin could dip 80-110 basis points if tariffs persist, echoing similar guidance from Nike and Under Armour. The move signals broader cost-pass-through pressures that smaller activewear and athleisure brands must monitor.
    Source: TheStreet, Published on: June 9, 2025
7. Google Search Console Bug Drops Discover Clicks After June 5
  • SEO professionals are reporting a flatline in Discover impressions and clicks beginning June 5, traced to a reporting bug inside Google Search Console. Google has acknowledged the issue but offered no timeline for a fix, urging site owners to validate traffic via GA4, server logs, or third-party rank trackers. Publishers reliant on Discover for top-of-funnel traffic could see artificial week-on-week declines exceeding 40% in analytics dashboards.
    Source: SE Roundtable, Published on: June 9, 2025

Strategic Recommendations

  • Synchronize Fuel Surcharge Tables: Use carrier APIs to auto-update checkout rates weekly so margins keep pace with FedEx/UPS adjustments.
  • Reroute EU Shipments: Divert time-sensitive cargo to less congested ports such as Southampton or Zeebrugge and exploit bonded inland hubs.
  • Test AI-Driven Storefronts: Deploy Shopify’s AI Store Designer to launch multilingual landing pages rapidly and improve conversion rates.
  • Leverage TikTok Smart+ Automation: Combine Smart+ with Catalog Ads for incremental ROAS gains during early-adopter phase pricing incentives.

Conclusion

  • Agile cost control and AI adoption are now twin pillars for cross-border growth in 2025.
  • Monitor policy shifts daily and pivot logistics and marketing tactics to stay resilient.