Cross-border ecommerce depends on the middle mile

Cross-border ecommerce performance is often judged by the customer at the final delivery moment, but many of the most important decisions happen much earlier in the journey.

Graham Tufft’s session at DELIVER Europe 2026 focused on the role of the middle mile in international ecommerce. Between fulfilment and final mile delivery, parcels often pass through multiple entities, transport legs, airport processes, clearance steps and handover points.

Each handover can add cost, delay and complexity. For retailers and carriers, that makes the middle mile a critical part of delivery performance rather than a hidden operational layer.

Air freight decisions shape speed and reliability

The session highlighted how air freight booking decisions can affect ecommerce delivery outcomes.

Capacity, product priority, recovery rules and airport release speed all influence whether parcels move quickly and consistently. If shipments are consolidated or delayed to meet volume commitments, speed can be compromised. If the wrong air cargo product is selected, recovery during disruption or peak periods may also become more difficult.

For ecommerce, where customer expectations are tied to predictable transit times, these middle mile decisions matter.

Fewer handovers can improve control

deliver-e’s model was positioned around reducing complexity in the cross-border chain.

By connecting parcel-level booking, airport processing, airline capacity, customs clearance and final mile injection through a more integrated model, the aim is to create greater visibility and fewer operational handovers.

This can help retailers and logistics partners better understand where shipments are, how they are moving and how quickly they can be injected into final mile networks once they arrive in the destination market.

The US is a key use case

The session used the US as a practical example of how cross-border ecommerce models can be improved.

For retailers shipping into the US, speed, customs handling, landed cost, duties and final mile coverage all affect the customer experience and commercial model. deliver-e’s approach combines air cargo network access with clearance and delivery options designed to support consistent transit times across the market.

The wider point is that cross-border ecommerce cannot rely only on air capacity or only on final mile performance. It needs the full journey to work as one connected chain.

What this means for the DELIVER community

For retailers and ecommerce brands, cross-border delivery performance depends on understanding what is being compromised across cost, speed and reliability.

For logistics providers and carriers, the opportunity is to simplify international parcel flows, reduce handovers and improve visibility across the middle mile. For technology partners, parcel-level data can support better booking, clearance, landed cost and customer communication.

As cross-border ecommerce continues to grow, air cargo infrastructure can play a stronger role in creating faster, more reliable and more transparent international delivery models.