Empowering SME Delivery with Adapted Solutions for Maximum Impact
13 June 2025
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)1 are the backbone of local economies, driving innovation, employment and development. As dynamic players in the delivery market, SMEs are increasingly expanding their reach across borders, driven by digital transformation, evolving consumer behaviours and new channels for growth. To truly thrive in this competitive landscape, SMEs need strong, reliable logistics partners who understand their unique challenges and opportunities. This is where the Geopost network plays a pivotal role.
Built on a connected network of localised businesses, Geopost is closely attuned to regional market trends and the specific needs of SMEs. By providing essential SME delivery expertise, Geopost helps these businesses enhance their performance, increase their visibility and scale both locally and internationally. As delivery remains a crucial factor in SME success ౼ considered essential by 86% of SMEs, and 92% by those engaging in cross-border operations2 ౼ Geopost stands as a key enabler, ensuring that SMEs can innovate, grow and compete on the global stage.
Driving local growth, expanding global reach
SMEs’ ability to create jobs and generate economic value makes them essential to the prosperity of local communities. They are already powerful engines of market growth, accounting for:
- approximately 90% of all businesses worldwide
- employing around 70% of the workforce
- contributing as much as 70% of global GDP3.
Their presence is only set to grow. Changing consumer behaviours indicate a strong preference for supporting small businesses, with 22% of consumers actively shifting their spending habits to prioritise local commerce4.
E-shopping is boosting SME visibility
Digitalisation has unlocked unprecedented opportunities for SMEs to grow on the global stage. Social media, e-commerce, and other digital tools allow them to reach wider audiences, boost visibility and compete in ways that were once only possible for larger brands.
Social commerce alone ౼ where products are bought directly within social platforms ౼ is projected to grow at a 30% compound annual growth rate, in comparison to the 21% CAGR registered from 2017 to 2022. Additional research by Future Market Insights even found that “12% of e-commerce businesses (mainly SMEs) currently sell on social media, and 30% of them want to do so by 2033.”5
The next step for SMEs? Finding the right international partner
While SMEs are collectively major contributors to local growth, their smaller size, limited supply chain networks and lower investment in digital advancements make them more vulnerable to disruptions. Unlike larger corporations with vast resources, SMEs often face challenges in adapting to market downturns or scaling their operations efficiently. To sustain their growth and fully capitalise on new opportunities, SMEs need strong partners who understand their challenges and can help them navigate the complexities of both local and global markets.
The critical role of SME delivery solutions
Clearly, the rise of e-commerce, mobile commerce and social commerce has created unprecedented opportunities for SMEs to grow both locally and internationally. Shifting consumer behaviours and digital advancements have opened new doors – but they’ve also introduced a new set of challenges.
In an increasingly crowded marketplace, standing out is difficult. SMEs often struggle to gain visibility and earn the trust of online shoppers, lacking the financial resources that larger marketplaces can invest in marketing, e-commerce logistic solutions and customer support.
“With the development over time of e-commerce and new technologies, SMEs are faced with increasingly demanding and volatile consumers. And they don't always have the means to cover the costs of acquiring new customers” - Vincent Peyronnet, Director Commercial Excellence, Pricing & SME at Geopost
SMEs are navigating increasingly high delivery expectations
One of the biggest hurdles is meeting the demands of rising delivery expectations. Consumers expect fast, seamless delivery, and in a hyper-competitive environment, it’s not only difficult to attract new customers – it’s even easier to lose them. SMEs are more reliant than ever on their shipping partners, looking for efficiency, proactive customer support teams, and operational excellence to stay competitive.
In fact, 59% of SMEs consider fast, on-time delivery a top priority6 – a figure that will only rise as delivery expectations continue to evolve. The 2024 Global Retail Outlook conducted by Deloitte estimates that by 2029, two-thirds of all global deliveries will be fulfilled either the same day or the next7, making reliable, fast e-commerce logistic solutions a key differentiator for businesses of all sizes.
“We want our SMEs to benefit from the logistics innovations we develop when working with larger companies,” says Guillaume Guersing, Head of Consumer Services at Geopost. “Our need to stay competitive pushes us to refine our value proposition constantly – and once these solutions are perfected, we extend them to all our customers. By giving SMEs access to the same high-quality delivery services as major players, we help them strengthen their position in the market, enhance their competitiveness and thrive in an increasingly crowded space.”
Singular: the platform boosting SME visibility
Recognising that SMEs face unique challenges in keeping up with technological and innovation demands – 25% cite this as a top concern9– the Geopost network developed Singular to meet their needs. This digital platform was created to help SMEs capitalise on the rapid growth of e-commerce and digital transformation, providing them with increased visibility, and access to international markets.
Showcasing local businesses on an international scale
First launched in Italy in May 2024, Singular is a multi-brand platform designed to showcase and support local SMEs. Featuring roughly 13,000 high-quality and local SMEs in existing countries (with 7,500 in Italy alone), Singular directs visitors to the businesses’ own e-commerce sites for purchases thus creating a win-win opportunity: SMEs gain exposure to a wider audience, while Geopost strengthens its role as a trusted partner.
To drive traffic and engagement, Singular was launched in Italy through a highly targeted campaign by BRT, Geopost’s network member in that country. An email campaign introduced the platform to 300,000 registered myBRT portal users while over 1.4 million myBRT parcel tracking app users were encouraged to explore Singular via an ad campaign. This strategy directly addresses one of the biggest barriers SMEs face – visibility – by connecting them with a built-in audience of active e-commerce users.
Looking ahead, the promise of Singular is to give SMEs visibility at a Europe-wide scale, interconnecting all Singular platforms so a merchant in Italy will be visible on the Spanish platform, and a French user will be able to discover brands in Italy and so on.
Building trust in a crowded online marketplace
Beyond exposure, Singular plays a crucial role in helping SMEs build trust with consumers. In an overcrowded online marketplace, smaller brands often struggle to stand out and convince potential customers of their credibility, particularly in cross-border transactions. Singular bridges this gap by leveraging the trust that millions of e-shoppers already have in the Geopost network.
To be featured on Singular, merchants must have demonstrated a commitment to their local economy, responsible business practices and alignment with the values of the Geopost network. Since launching, Singular has onboarded more than 60 merchants and reached over 300,000 unique visitors in 2024.
After a successful launch in Italy, Singular was rolled out in Spain by SEUR and in Croatia on the myDPD platform at the end of 2024. Clients were drawn to the fact that it is a free service that is compatible with all major e-commerce platforms.
“In Spain, SEUR is a highly trusted brand, so when we take smaller companies under our umbrella, we transfer the trust people have in our brand to these smaller brands,” says David Sastre, CEO at SEUR.
Fostering stronger partnerships between delivery experts and SMEs
The future of global supply chains is being shaped by strong partnerships between SMEs and delivery experts like Geopost. “By working together, we’re not just keeping up with the evolving demands of e-commerce ౼ we’re driving innovation and creating smarter, more efficient logistics solutions,” says Vincent Peyronnet, Director Commercial Excellence, Pricing & SME at Geopost
For SMEs looking to scale, streamline and succeed in an increasingly competitive market, now is the time to engage with e-commerce logistics partners to unlock new opportunities, optimise operations and ensure seamless customer experiences.
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Sources
1. European Commission. https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/smes/sme-fundamentals/sme-definition_en
2. Geopost. 2024 2B Recipient Barometer
3. World Economic Forum https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_Readiness_of_SMEs_and_Mid_Sized_Companies_A_Year_On_2022.pdf
4. Research Gate https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376891773_Value_creation_in_post-pandemic_retailing_a_conceptual_framework_and_implications
5. Shopify https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/blog/global-ecommerce-statistics
6. Geopost. 2024 2B Recipient Barometer
7. Deloitte https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/Industries/consumer/analysis/global-retail-outlook.html
8-9. Geopost. 2024 2B Recipient Barometer