Cross-border shopping puts hard-to-find products within reach, but the bargain on screen can unravel at checkout—or at the door. Shipping fees, currency conversion, duties, taxes, and customs delays can quickly inflate the final price, while vague delivery windows test shoppers’ patience. Before purchasing, consumers should confirm shipping availability, determine whether duties are included, review return policies and import restrictions, and calculate the true landed cost before committing to an international order.

Guest contributor Steven Cornwell, Global Director of ERA-co, notes that for a decade and a half, the question “Can physical space survive the internet?” has been asked as though it were still open. It isn’t. Brick-and-mortar retail already had this fight — and won it, not by beating e-commerce, but by becoming something e-commerce cannot be. What happens to commercial real estate when “going to work” stops meaning going anywhere?

Despite economic headwinds, U.S. retailers are still opening thousands of stores annually—but the strategy has fundamentally shifted from volume-driven growth to data-informed, risk-conscious site selection, where location quality, total occupancy costs, and supply chain logistics now outweigh the simple desire to expand