Jakarta, Indonesia, 8 December 2025 — Federal Express Corporation, one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, released insights from a recent survey exploring trends and sentiment around the year-end festive shopping season among businesses and consumers across Asia Pacific (APAC) and Europe, including Indonesia.
Conducted in September 2025, the survey gathered insights from 850 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and 850 consumers across 13 APAC markets, including 100 Indonesian SMEs and 100 Indonesian consumers who actively purchase from European sellers. It also examines business expectations for the holiday gifting season and highlights customer preferences and concerns.
Indonesian Consumers Peak Later and Prioritize Speed
Indonesia stands out in APAC for its later holiday shopping peak: 44% of Indonesian consumers plan to shop in December, more than double the regional average of 19%, while the remaining start earlier in October (31%) and November (18%). The findings also reveal strong optimism, with 57% of consumers intending to do more online shopping compared to last year and 33% planning to complete at least half of their holiday shopping online. Fashion, food, and electronic products remain particularly popular, with product quality (95%), brand reputation (73%) and product uniqueness (44%) guiding purchase decisions.
While Indonesian consumers largely plan their purchases in December, online shopping festivals such as Double 11, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday still play a role, with 92% of consumers factoring these events into their holiday purchase planning for product discovery and deals. Reflecting this trend, SMEs are adjusting their strategies: 91% of APAC businesses (97% for Indonesian businesses) and 83% of European businesses view e-commerce shopping festivals as critical for capturing seasonal demand.
Logistics and Delivery Are Key Purchase Drivers
Speed and reliability are top priorities for Indonesian consumers, with all respondents considering fast delivery important. Yet, delayed deliveries (50%) and elevated shipping costs (48%) are the primary pain points from previous seasons, underscoring the need for e-tailers to optimize logistics performance and customer experience.
These concerns directly impact purchasing decisions. More than half of Indonesian consumers say they would be more likely to buy from European sellers if there were greater product choice (63%), more localized payment options (58%), and more sustainable options (58%). The survey also revealed that most Indonesian consumers purchase European products through e-commerce marketplaces (67%), more than double the share of direct brand websites (17%) and physical stores (15%), highlighting a strong preference towards online shopping.
Indonesian SMEs are responding to these rising expectations, with 64% offering more competitive promotions and 47% offering more localized products or product ranges for the European market. Encouragingly, 91% report confidence in meeting delivery deadlines for international shipments this holiday season.
Empowering SMEs with Integrated E-Commerce and Digital Logistics Solutions
“Indonesia’s concentrated holiday shopping in December highlights the critical role of speed and reliability in cross-border trade. With the majority of purchases compressed into a single month, businesses face intense logistical pressure,” said Garrick Thompson, managing director, FedEx Indonesia. “FedEx is helping SMEs anticipate peak demand through smart digital tools and efficient delivery networks, enabling them to deliver exceptional service even during the busiest period of the year.”
FedEx’s comprehensive e-commerce solutions support e-tailers in streamlining order fulfillment. The company has integrated its Ship Manager platform, with leading e-commerce marketplaces such as Shopify and BigCommerce, enabling APAC e-tailers to create shipments and manage paperwork directly from their online orders. These easy-to-use, friction-free services are crucial for e-commerce merchants, especially during the busy holiday season when order volumes increase significantly.
To meet rising expectations for speed and reliability, e-commerce shipping services such as FedEx® International Connect Plus (FICP) help merchants ship within Asia Pacific as well as to the U.S. and Europe. This cost-effective international solution typically delivers most shipments within one to three business days, aligning closely with consumer demand for fast delivery.
Last-mile delivery also remains central to shaping consumer experience, and FedEx has built a network of approximately 260,000 smart lockers across APAC, providing customers with secure pickup locations. Additionally, customizable delivery options, along with direct messaging and convenient tracking through digital tools like FedEx® Delivery Manager International provide consumers with the assurance that their packages have been delivered right to their doorsteps.
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About the Survey
This online survey was conducted by Milieu Insight in September 2025 across 13 Asia Pacific markets including Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam; and by Mortar Research across 9 European markets including the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Turkey, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Belgium and Germany. The survey gathered insights from 1,205 European engaged in international trade, alongside 850 Asia Pacific consumers and 850 SMEs who actively trade with Europe. Click here to download the full report.
About Federal Express Corporation
Federal Express Corporation is one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. Federal Express Corporation uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments by a definite time and date.