Field Study: Global Supply Chains — Part 3

Investigating the current state and future of global e-commerce supply chains

This post is part of a five-part Field Study by Alpaca exploring the current state of global e-commerce supply chains and the opportunities we see ahead. Use these quick links to read the entire series: Part 1: Global Supply Chains, Part 2: Delivery, Part 3: Cross-Boarder, Part 4: Returns, Part 5: Conclusion.

Buon Giorno dall’Italia! It took some time to get Part 3 written this summer (see Part 1 and Part 2), but now I am sipping espresso in my family’s house on the Amalfi Coast thinking about a supply chain issue I have experienced most of my adult life having a multi-national family: cross-border logistics.

Una storia: Half of my family lives in Italy, so gift-giving has always been tough, especially for Christmas. My littlest sister, Emanuela, adores American culture and desperately follows the Biebers and the Kardashians on social media, not unlike many GenZ here who aspire to American pop culture royalty.

A couple of years ago when it launched, all Emanuela wanted was Kylie’s lip kit (for those living under a rock, Kylie Jenner’s beauty brand Kyle Cosmetics catapulted her to be named the youngest self-made billionaire in 2019). There was an issue, though: my sister couldn’t get a lip kit shipped to her in Italy.

This doesn’t make sense, though, right? An international fan, who knows and loves the Kylie brand and is willing to pay, found it nearly…