It can be easy to jump two steps ahead in the business world. Especially for those in the e-commerce space, many business owners make the mistake of running before they can walk, shooting straight for an international audience without consolidating a clear plan. If you’re one of those business owners, we’re not saying that you shouldn’t be expanding your horizons, but when creating an e-commerce website, it’s important to know a few things before adding that all important international delivery option. With this in mind, we’re going to walk you through a few of the most important steps you should take before going international, and why they’re so important in preserving the future of your company.
Getting to Know the Market
The first thing you need to know is the market. At first, this can only be achieved locally. In order to get customers engaged, you need to understand your local market and industry, and work from there to optimise your website and attain initial custom. Before adding an international delivery option, you then need to expand your horizons and research international markets. What are the countries you should be targeting, and how can you aim for their specific customers? What does the overall industry scene look like in those countries, and how do customer buying habits and preferences differ to your own? These are the aspects of the market you need to know before spreading the reach of your product.
Communicating With Business Partners
With the international market in mind, you cannot expect to cater towards it by yourself. In order to formulate a cohesive and effective marketing campaign that spans across borders, it is necessary to find local business partners – or intermediaries – who can help you understand your target market and have a pre-existing network of potential customers. They can also help with your customer service by understanding specific consumer needs. In terms of nailing that initial marketing campaign and boosting sales, these partners could be particularly important.
Optimising Your SEO
You also need to look at your SEO campaign. If you’re adding an international delivery option, that means your international customers are going to be interacting with the same website as your localised customers, but in order to generate an international click-rate, your SEO must be optimised. Once again, this comes down to understanding the market and attaining a clear idea of what your audience is searching for. That also brings us nicely onto our next point.
Considering Localised Content
The content you produce will also have to be optimised. One of the key challenges that e-commerce sites selling internationally face is language differences. If the consumers don’t understand product descriptions, it’s unlikely they’re going to be clicking on the delivery option in the first place. This means you need to deliver quality translations that turn your website into a multi-language platform, accurate enough to engage international buyers and boost the rate of transactions. Again, the content itself will also need to be localised. Blog topics that might speak to your local customers are not necessarily going to correlate with your international customers. Make sure you have a global-ready content strategy and ensure the information on your site fits the entire market.
Configuring Your Payment Methods
It’s important for any site to have multiple payment methods, but it becomes even more important when you consider international buyers. There are different payment preferences for different locations. For instance, while North America might prefer credit card payments, consumers tend to prefer bank transfers in Asia. You need to make sure you know what payment methods are most popular, you attain a good payment provider with a global reputation – and strong cybersecurity – and you cater to as many people as possible.
Researching Shipping Options
Every decision you make in business should positively impact your bottom line, and shipping internationally is no different. Once you have attained a good idea of your international customers and have catered to them with appropriate content and payment methods, you then need to think about how you will get your products to your door. This means researching international shipping options and choosing the best options for your customer. According to a recent report, more than 60% of consumers choose not to purchase products because of extortionate shipping fees. To combat this, do as much as possible to get those shipping fees down and be transparent with customers about what they are.
Understanding Regulations and Taxes
This particular point is where that business partner will come in handy. When you’re selling internationally, you need to be clued in on everything from tax, duties, rules, regulations, and free trade agreements. All of this will be crucial when it comes to remaining compliant, reducing costs, and pricing your products appropriately.
Working Out Your Returns Policy
The last thing you should do before integrating that international purchase option is be prepared for the inevitable. Returns. Whether we like it or not, returns happen for every business, no matter how good the products are, so you need to have a clear return policy that works for your international customers. This policy needs to comply with local regulations and laws, and also be transparent about return fees and store credit. This is an important thing to get right if you want to keep your company cost-efficient, productive, and ultimately, successful in your international endeavours!