Articles

Every consumer brand expanding cross-border asks the same question: EU first, or UK first? Both look attractive on the surface. The right answer depends on category, channel mix, capital, and operating capacity. Here's the framework we use with our partner brands.

Brexit reshaped how consumer brands enter the UK. VAT thresholds, customs, EORI numbers, and a Amazon UK ecosystem that runs on its own logic. Here's the distributor vs commerce operator framework for the post-Brexit reality.

The EU is 27 countries, 24 languages, and three VAT regimes. For consumer brands at €5M+, the choice between a distributor and a commerce operator now decides how much margin and customer ownership you keep. Here's the framework.

The full economics of the eBrands partnership: three fee components, direct costs at zero markup, and a transparent €1M comparison against going it alone.

A phase-by-phase walkthrough of the eBrands onboarding process — discovery, compliance, contracting, integration, launch, and ongoing operations.

Why the traditional patchwork of distributors, agencies, logistics providers, and compliance consultants breaks at scale — and how eBrands replaces it with a single commerce operator.

Why SaaS-focused Merchants of Record like Paddle, Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, and FastSpring don't work for physical goods brands, and what category of provider does.

Merchant of Record vs Payment Facilitator: a technical breakdown of how the two models differ in liability, regulatory burden, and operational scope.

12 questions to ask any Merchant of Record provider before signing. Covers scope, compliance, pricing, ownership, and exit terms. Designed to surface fit or unfit in a single 30-minute call.

11 Merchant of Record companies compared by scope, pricing, and use case. SaaS-focused providers, marketplace operators, and full commerce operators. What each one actually covers.

The Merchant of Record vs Seller of Record distinction explained. Where the terms overlap, where they diverge, and which one you actually need for international ecommerce.

A clear answer to what a Merchant of Record is for physical goods brands. The role, the responsibilities, where the term came from, and what to watch for when comparing providers.

What's actually inside Merchant of Record services and how to compare what each provider includes versus charges for. Five core service categories that distinguish a payment wrapper from a full commerce operator.

A complete guide to the Merchant of Record model for physical goods brands. What it is, what it costs, how it differs from SaaS MoR providers like Paddle and Stripe, and how to choose the right partner.

Five core operational capabilities separate the brands that thrive from those that get disrupted. Most founders, CEOs, and board members are still getting them fundamentally wrong.

From July 2026, new EU customs rules are raising the bar for market entry. Here's what's changing, what it means for your brand, and how to stay ahead of it.

An Importer of Record (IoR) handles the legalities, duties, and compliance of bringing goods into a new country, a process that often stalls global expansion.

Why the biggest barrier to TikTok Shop expansion isn't your product or your audience — it's paperwork. Here's the shortcut smart brands are using to launch across three continents without building a single local entity.

Scaling globally takes more than shipping—it requires mastering payments, taxes, and customer experience. A Merchant of Record handles the complexity so you can grow faster with less risk.

This guide breaks down the four primary business models—from traditional distributors to the modern Merchant of Record—to help you scale internationally without losing your brand's soul.

For Amazon FBA Sellers, ocean freight shipping costs and times have skyrocketed to eye watering levels in 2021 as the global supply chain has been stretched to breaking point.

AI is redefining online shopping. With OpenAI, Stripe, and Walmart leading the shift, chat-based buying is turning problem-solving into purchasing.

A post-COVID economic rebound in China has caused electricity demand to outstrip what Chinese power plants are able to supply. As a result, around two-thirds of the country is reported by state media to have engaged in some form of power rationing. One major reason for this is that there is not enough coal currently available in the country to ramp up power generation.

As new U.S. tariff policies take aim at ultra-cheap imports, Nordic e-commerce brands have a rare opening - but capitalizing on it requires more than great products.

There is a lot of talk about the importance of data, but there isn't as much discussion about the importance of how to interpret what you can see within this information. Taking the time to properly understand your data can be the difference between learning valuable insights about your customers (and products) or getting left behind the brands that do.

As Amazon moves from the Vendor to the Seller model, businesses face new challenges and opportunities. This article outlines why the shift is happening and how to leverage it for success.

HAPPY SiNKS, one of our Nordic design brands has been given the honor of being a finalist in the sustainable products category at Global Innovation Awards!

Discover how European brands can navigate 2025 U.S. tariffs, avoid costly pitfalls, and scale smoothly with expert-led, integrated market entry solutions.

As the Black Friday season approaches, it's crucial to align strategies to capitalize on the busiest shopping months of the year.

How we’re building a consumer brand house that brings the best of the Nordics to a global audience.‍

Our Head of Brand Studio, Patrik, sat down with our CEO, Robin, to chat about 2 crucial parts of every brand’s growth strategy - market positioning and sales expansion options.

Discover how brands can navigate today’s complex retail landscape, from wholesale to marketplaces, while managing pricing, margins, and scalability with the right infrastructure.

Recently, we had a chance to chat with Milja Merta, our brand manager from Finland currently based in the Canary Islands. Milja is not afraid to experiment with new strategies while enjoying the adrenaline rush of seeing it all play out.‍Milja is passionate about surfing, camping, and indulging in a game of chess by the beach. On the professional front, she is responsible for the growth of the acquired brands.

What I love most about working for eBrands, is that the company works with a 100% remote team and the culture we are building with an international team. Our team members come from all over the world, which means we get to work with people from many different cultures, languages, timezones, and so on.

Thinking of launching a D2C channel on Shopify? Learn what it really takes to succeed - from tax compliance and logistics to marketing, fulfillment, and localization. A must-read for brands scaling globally.

As an Amazon FBA business, you are tied to one of the world’s largest retail companies and from the moment that Amazon receives your inventory, your ability to influence the sustainability process is limited. However, this also means that you can have a major impact in all of the areas that come before this

Any Amazon FBA Seller who is seriously considering how they can future proof their business needs to have sustainability as part of their key business model - as the growing effects of pollution and climate change are likely to lead to tighter restrictions on products from not just Amazon but also suppliers, transport companies and governments.

One of the main things on any eCommerce brand owner’s mind is: “How can I reduce the cost of my product?” So we asked our Head of Supply Chain and Sourcing how to reduce one of the biggest costs for any product - manufacturing.

Prime Day is no longer just a flash sale. It’s a global retail phenomenon - and one that increasingly rivals Black Friday in its ability to drive revenue, attract new customers, and shape long-term brand performance on Amazon.

Today’s consumers can contact and follow a brand on a channel of their choosing and almost at any time of the day. Therefore, brands need to be consistent in their approach across channels, transparent in doing business, and help consumers where possible. For brands this means that they need to have a personality that consumers can relate to.

We went back to our supply chain expert in the wild, Warren, to get his opinion on another major source of costs for eCommerce sellers - transportation.

The majority of the equity financing comes from Varma Pension Fund, Rettig Group and Veikko Laine Oy in addition to Icebreaker.vc and other private investors. Nordea Bank and Finnvera are eBrands’ lenders and committed to support the growth. This takes the Finnish company’s total funding to $50m.

The dream for every Amazon seller is to gain the Best Seller badge in their category. Unsurprisingly, our brand teams at eBrands spend a lot of time focusing on this, too, so we wanted to share one case study in how we'd been successful in doing this for one of our more unusual products - a home for bats.

At our Apollo Launch Event in Helsinki, we brought together leaders from Business Finland, Reima, Verkkokauppa.com, Amazon, and Wolt. The day highlighted what it takes for consumer brands to scale globally - from courage and localization to platforms that simplify cross-border growth.

Back to School marks more than a return to classrooms - it's a broader seasonal reset. Learn how brands across wellness, lifestyle, home, and grooming can activate this high-intent period with smart bundles, seasonal messaging, and omnichannel strategy.

Our ambition for the brand was to develop a new identity that would resonate more with potential and existing customers and then communicate this new identity to not only the brand’s existing customers, but its future customers, too. We aimed to achieve this by building a cohesive visual personality for the brand and combining this with a captivating brand story, that ultimately gave rise to a unique, honest and unexpected voice.

Bodyotics’ brand represents a shift in how intimate health is perceived and discussed, aiming to eliminate the stigma and foster positive change. Renewing the focus on being a supportive partner to its target audience, the brand empowers women to live without limits while acknowledging their unique experiences.

After having Coach Soak be part of our brand house for the last year, we wanted to discuss the success story of Coach Soak, and hear from Jordan on why he decided to sell his business and more specifically, why did he sell it to eBrands?

One major growth activity we deploy throughout our portfolio is brand development. Now we’re not talking about PPC or supply chain management, but the creative development. While we see this as an everlasting activity, the level of the effort directly after acquisition is dependent on the acquired brand’s channel mix and current state.