Cybersecurity risks and best practices in e-commerce fulfillment networks
2 October 2025
The psychology of waiting: Managing customer expectations in logistics
3 October 2025For decades, global supply chains were built around one principle: cost efficiency. Manufacturers and retailers sourced goods from wherever production was cheapest, often far from the markets where customers lived. That strategy delivered lower prices but also created long, fragile logistics networks. In recent years, shifting geopolitics, pandemic disruptions, and rising transportation costs have changed the equation.
Concepts like nearshoring — bringing production and fulfillment closer to end markets — and friendshoring — relying on politically and economically aligned countries — are reshaping how e-commerce companies think about fulfillment. These strategies are not just resilience; they are transforming the very geography of logistics.
OUR GOAL
To provide an A-to-Z e-commerce logistics solution that would complete Amazon fulfillment network in the European Union.
Understanding nearshoring and friendshoring
Nearshoring involves moving production or fulfillment closer to the target market. For a European retailer, that might mean shifting suppliers from East Asia to Eastern or Southern Europe. For US companies, it could mean sourcing from Mexico or Latin America rather than China.
Friendshoring is less about geography and more about geopolitics. It refers to prioritizing trade and supply chain partnerships with countries that share stable political ties, common values, or long-standing economic agreements. This approach aims to reduce risks from sanctions, tariffs, or sudden geopolitical conflicts.
While different in focus, both strategies converge on a central idea: shorter, more reliable, and politically stable supply chains.
Why these models are gaining momentum
Several forces are driving companies to rethink traditional offshore strategies:
Geopolitical tensions: Trade disputes and sanctions have made global supply chains vulnerable to sudden disruption.
Pandemic lessons: COVID-19 exposed the fragility of overextended supply chains, with shortages and long lead times.
Rising transport costs: Higher fuel prices and congested shipping routes make far-flung sourcing less cost-effective.
Consumer expectations: Shoppers increasingly expect faster delivery, which is difficult to achieve with long international supply lines.
Sustainability goals: Nearshoring can reduce carbon footprints by cutting long-haul shipping distances.
Together, these factors have shifted the balance from chasing the lowest unit cost to valuing resilience, speed, and flexibility.
How nearshoring changes fulfillment dynamics
When production and fulfillment move closer to customers, logistics networks look very different.
Shorter delivery times: Nearshoring reduces transit distances, allowing for faster fulfillment and enabling services like next-day or two-day shipping in more regions.
Smaller, distributed warehouses: Instead of relying on massive centralized hubs near ports, businesses may operate multiple smaller facilities spread across regions.
Reduced risk of disruption: Shorter supply lines are less vulnerable to global shocks, from port closures to long-haul freight bottlenecks.
More agile inventory management: With closer suppliers and warehouses, companies can adjust stock more quickly to respond to demand changes.
These changes align well with e-commerce trends, where flexibility and speed often matter more than shaving cents off production costs.
Friendshoring and the role of trust
Friendshoring adds a political and strategic layer to fulfillment planning. For e-commerce businesses, it refers to caring about who controls the infrastructure their production or fulfillment relies on.
Working with partners in politically stable, aligned countries reduces the risk of sudden restrictions or regulatory hurdles. For example, European companies may prefer to source and fulfill from within the EU or allied nations, while US businesses may prioritize trade partners with free trade agreements.
Friendshoring also reinforces compliance with regulatory and ethical standards. Countries with stronger labor laws, environmental regulations, and data protection frameworks help businesses avoid reputational and legal risks in their supply chains.
Cost trade-offs and operational challenges
Nearshoring and friendshoring are not without downsides. Costs often rise when moving production or fulfillment away from low-cost offshore hubs. Labor may be more expensive, and infrastructure may not always match the scale of established global manufacturing giants.
Businesses must weigh these trade-offs carefully:
Higher labor costs may be offset by lower transport costs and faster delivery.
Regional supply bases may lack certain raw materials or components, requiring hybrid models that combine local and global sourcing.
Warehousing and transport networks in nearshore regions may need significant investment before they can fully support large-scale e-commerce fulfillment.
This means neither is a universal solution — these are options within a broader mix of strategies that companies must tailor to their needs.
Regional examples of nearshoring and friendshoring in action
Different regions are approaching nearshoring and friendshoring in distinct ways:
North America: US companies increasingly turn to Mexico and Central America for manufacturing and fulfillment, leveraging proximity and trade agreements like USMCA.
Europe: Retailers are rediscovering Central and Eastern Europe as competitive fulfillment hubs, benefiting from EU integration and improved infrastructure.
Asia-Pacific: While many companies still rely on China, diversification toward Vietnam, Malaysia, and India reflects both nearshoring (to serve regional demand) and friendshoring (toward politically aligned nations).
These shifts demonstrate that nearshoring and friendshoring are not about abandoning global supply chains altogether but about rebalancing them toward resilience.
Impacts on sustainability and customer experience
Closer-to-home fulfillment offers more than operational benefits. It can also enhance sustainability and customer perception:
Lower carbon footprint: Reducing long-haul shipping distances aligns with corporate sustainability goals and consumer expectations for greener logistics.
Enhanced reliability: Fewer disruptions mean fewer late deliveries, improving customer trust.
Faster returns processing: With warehouses closer to end markets, returns — a critical element of e-commerce — can be handled more efficiently.
These advantages strengthen customer experience, making logistics a competitive differentiator rather than just a back-end function.
Preparing for a hybrid future
It is unlikely that companies will shift entirely to nearshoring or friendshoring. Global supply chains remain too complex, and some products will always rely on global networks for raw materials or specialized production.
The more likely future is hybrid models: a mix of global and regional fulfillment designed to balance cost, resilience, and speed. Companies may keep strategic suppliers offshore while supplementing them with nearshore facilities for critical markets.
Digital tools will be crucial here. Advanced forecasting, real-time visibility, and predictive analytics will allow businesses to orchestrate multiple supply chain layers effectively.
Rethinking fulfillment in a new era
Nearshoring and friendshoring are reshaping how businesses think about fulfillment. They are responses to an uncertain world where logistics resilience and customer trust matter more than squeezing the last cent from production costs.
For e-commerce, the implications are clear: fulfillment strategies must be agile, regionally aware, and geopolitically informed. Success will belong to companies that treat logistics not just as a cost center but as a strategic asset — capable of adapting to new realities and meeting customers where they are, literally and figuratively.
