Cross-border e-commerce is rising in 2024: your competitors aren’t just local anymore

If your pricing strategy still assumes “my competitors are the shops in my country”, you’re already late.

The European Commission’s Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025 reports that cross-border buying rose sharply in 2024:

• 35% of consumers bought online from another EU country in 2024 (up vs 2022).
• 27% bought online from outside the EU in 2024.

At the same time, Eurostat reports that 77% of EU internet users bought online in 2024 — a large base where cross-border shopping can quickly reshape competitive pressure.

Why this matters for competitor price tracking

A cross-border competitor changes what “best price” means:

• Landed price beats sticker price: VAT, shipping tiers, and duties (for non‑EU) can flip the real winner.
• Availability & delivery promises become pricing signals: a higher price with faster delivery can still win.
• Promo calendars differ by country: the “same” season can have different discount intensity across markets.

What to track (practical)

For a Trackabl-style competitor set that matches real consumer behaviour:

1. Competitor scope
   Track at least one “adjacent market” (nearby EU country) and one “outside-EU” benchmark brand if your category is global.

2. Landed price
   Store: item price, shipping cost, free‑shipping threshold, delivery ETA, and return fees.

3. Offer context
   Capture promo badges, strike-through pricing, coupon prompts, and membership pricing.

4. Country metadata
   Save competitor country + currency and normalise comparisons at checkout (not only on the PDP).

A simple alert taxonomy

• Price cut (true markdown)
• Shipping threshold change
• Delivery promise change
• Promo framing change (badge/coupon/strike-through)
• Cross-border competitor enters/exits (a shop starts shipping to your market)

Cross-border e-commerce isn’t a niche; it’s becoming normal. Your competitor list should reflect that.