Deutsche Post DHL Group has announced its plans to invest US$137m over the next four years in developing its presence in the US domestic and cross-border e-commerce market.

The planned expenditure will be used for constructing eight new distribution centers, as well as enhancing two existing facilities in Los Angeles, California, and Columbus, Ohio, which were opened last year. The new investment will also expand day definite deliveries and enhancements to support domestic and international services.

DHL’s objective is to exploit the global B2C e-commerce market for shipments crossing borders, which is expected to grow from US$400bn today to a total global volume of US$1trn in 2020.

Charles Brewer, CEO, DHL eCommerce, said, “There is barely any other industry that provides such a promising outlook than the e-commerce business. It is expected that one billion people will shop online and across borders by 2020 with the US being the most popular origin for 25% of consumers worldwide. With our investments we lay the foundation to expand our leading role in cross-border e-commerce logistics, serve our US customers with the best possible infrastructure and solutions, and gain future market shares.

“We provide the most comprehensive e-commerce platform for international trading ventures, thanks to our different divisions’ expertise along the entire supply chain, whether it is warehousing or transportation. For consumers shopping abroad, and also for businesses, it is of utmost importance that international deliveries are reliable, safe and convenient. We provide that with our network every day in every way.”