Internet sales have made your customer base global. And thankfully, it has never been easier to export. Follow these ten tips to make your ecommerce business international.
The size of the overall ecommerce market is enormous: with around €750bn per annum worldwide. The UK is a leader in the market: more than one billion parcels are shipped from online purchases in the UK each year.
Here is how to make your ecommerce business international, in ten steps:
1. Research your market
Perform market research to understand how competition and customers differ from those in the UK, and any changes that you need to make for your ecommerce platform to be more “saleable”. What do customers in different countries expect from online shopping?
2. Build an export plan
Create an export plan defining how you will get international customers to your site and once there to turn browsers into buyers. You don’t just want people visiting your ecommerce website, you want them to trust you and buy from you. How?
3. Research alternative payment methods
By offering the right payment methods, you can boost sales by 24 per cent, research by World Pay shows. PayPal is a useful and trustworthy payment gateway, but you should also look into local credit cards – what is the standard for ecommerce sales in each country?
4. Get people to your site
Consider registering domains for each country you trade in. This will help to protect your brand, it will boost search rankings and show you have a presence in that country. Customers trust local domains more than buying from a foreign domain.
5. Speak their language
Shoppers are four times more likely to make a purchase when presented with their mother tongue. This may cost you some money, but the resulting sales should easily cover it. But ensure that you employ a competent, native translator to avoid misunderstandings.
6. Accept multiple currencies
Offer shoppers their preferred local currency. You can offer them either the option to choose which currency to show prices, or have a default per local domain. Payment gateway suppliers often offer this service for a fee, allowing you to be paid into your bank account in your own currency.
7. Get the price right
Don’t rely on UK price points transferring readily into foreign currencies – research competitors’ pricing and modify prices accordingly. This doesn’t mean cutting your prices across the board, but ensuring you don’t price yourself out of the market.
8. Comply with regulations
Make sure all of the legal angles have been covered. Stay up to date with relevant custom regulations and check there aren’t any issues with targeted countries, for example with prohibited items.
9. Offer international shipping options
Delivery times can be a deal breaker. Provide choice – offer a range of standard and express options including worldwide next day, if possible.
10. Fraud and security
Just as local markets operate differently, so do fraudsters. Research how to protect each local ecommerce site. It just takes one bad experience for the local market to react badly to your platform, so keep safe!
