Cross-border bonanza risk and reward for online retailers seeking European expansion

LOS GATOS, CA--(Marketwired - May 19, 2017) -

• German consumers return up to 50% of everything they order
• Online fraud up 167% in one year in Finland
• Arvato Payments Review combines more than 200 research sources

Going global has never been easier -- at least in theory. Cross-border e-commerce offers retailers a world of opportunities, but also pitfalls for the unwary. The Arvato Payments Review is a free resource providing invaluable insights for retailers wanting to expand their online presence into new markets, and is particularly relevant for North American retailers with the goal of European expansion.

Retailers looking to expand their business to Europe often lack objective data on local market conditions, as well as guidance on potential risks. It pays to know, for example, that conversions drop by a third if you don't offer open invoice in Austria. Or that Germans return up to 50% of online orders, and expect those returns to be free. Or that online fraud rose 167% in just one year in Finland.

The Arvato Payments Review provides these and other essential facts on 14 key markets: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the USA.

Drawing on more than 200 primary sources, it combines extensive quantitative research with expert advice on payments, risk and fraud, and consumer behaviour.

Jan Florian Richard, Director of BPO Finance at Arvato Financial Solutions, says the review combines data from a wide range of research to paint a more balanced and accurate picture than any single source.

"We have looked at the best sources, compared their findings with what we are seeing from our clients, and interpreted the data accordingly. The Arvato Payments Review gives retailers a very clear indication of the payment methods they should look at, the regulations they should pay attention to, and anything else they need to know to make an informed decision when expanding into new markets," he says.

Each country guide looks at key demographics and financials, the top online retailers, legal requirements, and consumer behaviour and expectations in areas such as delivery and returns. It also goes into specifics including how consumers prefer to pay in each market, identifying the local payment heroes and the optimal mix of payment methods, as well as what types of fraud can emerge and what retailers can do to minimise their exposure.

In addition to the country guides, retailers can also compare markets using a variety of key parameters.

The Arvato Payments Review has been compiled by Arvato Financial Solutions, a division of Arvato Bertelsmann, and business consultancy mm1 and can be accessed at http://payments-review.arvato.com/

About Arvato Financial Solutions
Arvato Financial Solutions is a global financial service provider and part of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA as a subsidiary of Arvato.

The company has over 10,000 employees in 22 countries, including a strong presence in Europe, America and Asia, and offers flexible full-service solutions for the efficient, international management of customer relationships and cash flows.

Arvato Financial Solutions is synonymous with professional outsourcing services (Finance BPO) centering on cash flow in all phases of the customer lifecycle - from risk management and invoicing to debtor management, the sale of receivables and debt collection. As part of this, the company focuses on minimizing default rates in the business initiation phase and during the collection process. As a result, its services also include optimizing the selection of payment types internationally.

As a financial solutions provider, Arvato Financial Solutions manages around 10,000 customers, specializing primarily in the retail/e-commerce, telecommunications, insurance, banking and healthcare sectors. This makes the company Europe's third largest integrated financial service provider.

More information is available at http://finance.arvato.com