Webinar: E-commerce boom

On 7 August 2025, the CCES Community hosted a webinar on the e-commerce boom exploring how customs are adapting and responding to the increase in low-value shipments, mainly parcels, shipped directly from the supplier to the consumer. 

The panelists included Dr Bryce Blegen, Associate Professor at the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies, Ms Varsha Singh, Commissioner-General, Seychelles Revenue Commission and Mr Paul Zalai, Director, Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA).

The panel discussion touched on several topics including the streamlined clearance process; international conventions, such as the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) and the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, the role of e-commerce platforms and logistics providers in the provision of consignment data, as well as efforts by customs and revenue authorities to digitise and modernise their systems and processes to manage the huge volumes of low-value shipments.