iShop Worldwide

What iShop Worldwide does

iShop Worldwide is a UK-based, privately-held cross-border shopping concierge and parcel delivery service that primarily serves consumers and businesses in African markets, with operations concentrated in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The company provides registered customers with dedicated delivery addresses in the UK, USA, South Africa, and India, enabling purchases from international retailers (Amazon, Argos, Boots, John Lewis, M&S, Next, Walmart, Fashion Nova) that do not directly ship to African countries. Goods are aggregated at iShop origin hubs, customs-cleared, and forwarded via an extensive agent network. The platform's core technology is an account-based parcel registration and tracking system that logs inbound shipments at hubs and tracks them through customs to final collection points, with integrations with PayPal for payments and xe.com for FX rate determination.

The company operates multiple product lines: the core Shop & Ship service for individual consumers, an Assisted Purchasing Service for customers without international payment methods, a One-Time Password (OTP) verification service for high-value Amazon deliveries requiring ID checks, and iShop for Business / Corporate Air Freight for B2B clients with dedicated account managers and advanced tracking. In May 2020, iShop launched iShop-Mall, an e-commerce marketplace offering authentic international brands (Nike, Adidas, Gucci, Armani Jeans, Love Moschino, Vans) with free shipping to Africa. Revenue is generated through transactional shipping fees on a per-kilogram or volumetric weight basis (the greater of gross or volume weight, rounded up to 0.5kg), customs clearance charges, handling and processing fees, storage charges on uncollected parcels after 14 days, optional insurance, and corporate managed services. The company operates core operating subsidiaries including Online Express Ltd and iShop Worldwide Freight Ltd in Zambia, and has referenced business operations through Primerise Enterprises Private Limited in Zimbabwe.

iShop Worldwide Limited is a registered private limited company in England and Wales (Company Number 9903931), headquartered at Unit E, Kendal House, Victoria Way, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9NF, with an additional warehouse in Brooklyn, New York (USA origin hub). The company was founded in 2005 according to company history and customer testimonials, though firmographic records indicate 2015 as a milestone year. It is privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds or institutional investors. In January 2024, the company suspended its China origin service, consolidating focus on the UK, USA, South Africa, and India corridors serving African destination markets.

Name

iShop Worldwide

Legal name

iShop Worldwide Limited

Website

https://ishop-worldwide.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

iShop Worldwide is a UK-based cross-border shopping concierge and parcel delivery service enabling African consumers and businesses, primarily in Zambia and Zimbabwe, to purchase from UK, USA, South Africa, and India retailers via dedicated delivery addresses, customs clearance, and last-mile delivery through an agent network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cross-Border Logistics Services

NAICS

General Merchandise Retailers (455)

SIC

Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-border Marketplaces (Multi-seller) (CRAFAJAA)

Keywords

• Cross-border parcel forwarding
• International shipping services
• Shopping concierge logistics
• Corporate air freight
• Customs clearance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Haywards Heath

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight and Shipping Fees: Primary revenue stream from shipping costs charged on gross weight or volume weight (dimensions) of shipments, whichever is greater. Weights are rounded up to the nearest 0.5kg.
2. Customs Clearance Services: Fees for clearing goods through local customs on behalf of customers. Import duty and customs clearance charges must be paid prior to receiving goods.
3. Handling and Processing Fees: Charges for handling, processing, and managing parcels through the origin hubs including inspection, registration, and preparation for export.
4. Storage Fees: Storage charges applied to uncollected parcels after 14 days of receipt. Parcels held for 30 days after this period may be considered abandoned and auctioned.
5. Insurance Services: Optional insurance coverage for goods in transit, available through Online Express in Zambia with terms and conditions quoted upon request.
6. Corporate Air Freight Services: Dedicated corporate air freight service with personalised account management, advanced tracking, and scalable logistics solutions for business clients.
7. Assisted Purchasing Service: Fee-based service where iShop purchases items on behalf of customers, including sourcing, calling suppliers, and completing transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

iShop Worldwide is a shopping concierge and international parcel forwarding service that issues customers dedicated UK, USA, South Africa and India delivery addresses, receives their international online purchases, consolidates and forwards them to destination countries (primarily Zambia and Zimbabwe), and handles customs clearance and last-mile delivery through an extensive African agent network. The company also offers an Assisted Purchasing personal-shopping service, a separate corporate air freight track with dedicated account management, and an in-house e-commerce storefront (iShop Mall) selling authentic international brands to African consumers.

Product overview

iShop Worldwide is a shopping concierge and delivery service that operates as a unified platform with multiple integrated services. The core offering is the Shop & Ship Service, which enables customers to shop from international retailers and receive parcels through iShop's global warehouse network. This core service is complemented by iShop Mall, a dedicated e-commerce marketplace for African consumers featuring authentic international brands. Additional modules include the Assisted Purchasing Service for customers needing help with purchases, the One Time Password Service for Amazon high-value deliveries, and Parcel Tracking for real-time shipment visibility. iShop for Business provides a separate corporate air freight track with dedicated account management for business clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iShop-Mall: eCommerce store serving African market with authentic international brands including Nike, Vans, Adidas, Armani Jeans, Gucci, and Love Moschino, with FREE shipping to Africa. Headquartered in the United Kingdom with warehouses in UK and US.

Products and services

• Shop & Ship Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 140,000 parcels delivered in 2021 with only 5 attempted fraud incidents (99.996% fraud-free)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Aramex: Global logistics and express delivery company with strong presence in the Middle East and Africa. Comparable to iShop Worldwide as an international parcel delivery forwarder servicing emerging markets, but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• DHL Express: World's largest international express delivery company with extensive cross-border e-commerce capabilities. Competes with iShop Worldwide's Shop & Ship service offering international delivery to Africa, with much greater origin and destination coverage.
• FedEx Cross-Border: FedEx's cross-border e-commerce solution providing international shipping, package consolidation, and customs clearance. Directly competes with iShop Worldwide's parcel forwarding model, with the backing of FedEx's global network.

Regional players

• Posta Uganda: National postal service in Uganda offering international package forwarding and shop-and-ship services. Comparable to iShop Worldwide in providing cross-border shopping solutions to East African consumers, though limited to Uganda-specific operations.

Direct peers

• Borderlinx: Cross-border e-commerce platform providing virtual addresses and parcel forwarding from multiple origin countries. Similar Shop & Ship business model to iShop Worldwide, targeting consumers in regions with limited direct access to international retailers.
• Shipito: US-based parcel forwarding service offering virtual US addresses, package consolidation, and international shipping. Direct competitor to iShop's core Shop & Ship service, though Shipito primarily focuses on US origin shipments.
• comGateway: Asia-based parcel forwarding service specializing in facilitating purchases from US and UK retailers for international customers. Operates the same Shop & Ship business model as iShop Worldwide with similar target customer segments.
• Skypostal: Cross-border e-commerce parcel delivery service focused on Latin America and emerging markets. Operates similar virtual address and package forwarding model to iShop Worldwide, bridging international retailers with consumers in underserved regions.
• MyBox (formerly Skynet Worldwide Express): South African parcel forwarding and courier service offering international shopping and delivery solutions. Comparable to iShop Worldwide as an African-focused cross-border shopping concierge with similar target customer base.

Emerging players

• Jumia: Pan-African e-commerce marketplace with logistics infrastructure across multiple African countries. While primarily a B2C marketplace, Jumia's delivery capabilities and African market focus overlap with iShop Worldwide's destination-side value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ishopdeliveryn
• Facebookfacebook.com/ishopworldwidezambia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ishop-worldwide-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about iShop Worldwide