The intense race for speed in the e-commerce industry has pushed the logistics sector to the extreme, where it’s no longer about “the fastest,” but “faster than ever.” Not only are major courier companies involved in this race, but e-commerce giants are also accelerating their logistics strategies.

In the long-term battle of e-commerce, it’s essentially a game of “racing against time,” where logistics is the key factor in determining the delivery speed—the timeliness of delivery is crucial to service quality. In the cross-border e-commerce sector, 3PL (third-party logistics)—which involves local fulfillment through flexible warehousing and local shipping solutions—has become an effective way to enhance delivery efficiency.

In the Southeast Asian market, improving shipping timeliness is currently only achievable through overseas warehouses.

Overseas warehouses offer two main advantages to cross-border merchants: First, they provide faster fulfillment times. Although there are slight variations across Southeast Asian countries, overseas warehouses can save 3 to 7 days in shipping time compared to direct cross-border shipments. Second, they reduce fulfillment costs. According to data from TikTok Shop’s Southeast Asia cross-border e-commerce, using overseas warehouses can reduce logistics costs for merchants by about 10%.

Therefore, for products that require strong timeliness or have cyclical demand, a high-quality logistics experience ensures fast delivery to consumers during peak seasons.

This means an upgrade in service quality from the consumer’s perspective. From a brand’s long-term development viewpoint, improved customer satisfaction and loyalty contribute to repeat purchases. This completes the first step in enhancing a brand’s competitiveness: timely delivery, which better meets market demand. Merchants who win the race against time become closer to their consumers and more sticky in the market.