Strategies for the service transformation of customs regulation and administration
The research problem arises from the inconsistent use of the concept of servitization in relation to customs activities. Academic publications often conflate institutional models of customs administration, transformation strategies, the properties of customs services as public outcomes, and the procedural characteristics of customs administration. The relevance of the study is determined by the transition of customs authorities to digital, risk-based and customer-centred management, in which technological modernization should be accompanied by improvements in both the quality of regulatory outcomes and the convenience of interaction with foreign trade participants. The aim of the study is to develop a typology of strategies for the service transformation of customs regulation and administration based on a distinction between the outcome-oriented “customs service” contour and the process-oriented “service delivery” contour. The methodology combines comparative typological analysis, content analysis of Russian and international research, conceptual modelling, and the systematization of practices related to e-customs, single-window platforms, post-clearance control and customs risk management. The study distinguishes a model as a relatively stable configuration of the customs system from a strategy as a purposeful method of its transformation. Four groups of strategies are identified: model-oriented strategies, functional and technological strategies, object-oriented strategies, and country-specific configurations. The findings demonstrate that digital, platform, communication, process, audit, risk-based and infrastructure strategies are complementary rather than mutually exclusive. The most sustainable results are achieved when the quality of customs regulation outcomes is aligned with the quality of customs administration processes. The discretionary approach is therefore interpreted not as an independent strategy, but as a principle for selecting and combining strategies according to institutional maturity, trade-flow structure, risk profiles and digital readiness. The proposed typology may be used in customs modernization programmes and in systems for assessing the quality of customs services and customer experience.
Falchenko, O. D. (2026) “Strategies for the service transformation of customs regulation and administration”, Research Result. Business and Service Technologies, 12 (3), pp.
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