Global customers are just a boat-ride away
Globalising opens up your ecommerce business to new markets and a clear path to growth through global customers. It’s no easy task but it can help to provide long term sustainability for your business.
By Gabriella Griffith
Making sure your site is ready for international business is just the first step; you must keep innovating to retain the interest of international buyers and ensure the longevity of your place in new markets.
“International retailers need to look and behave in the way a local retailer would if they want long-term loyalty from international customers,” says Andreas Kopatz, Product Marketing Manager, Intershop.
Below are tips for gaining traction in international markets:
Create loyalty schemes (but be aware of national preferences)
A study by ACI Worldwide found that loyalty schemes are much more powerful than previously thought and can influence 84% of purchasing decisions. When you are an overseas brand trying to sell in a local market, these schemes can help in getting customers to trust you and to keep coming back for more.
The kind of offers that motivate consumers will be different in every country. You need to make sure you do your research to find out what works and what doesn’t. What kind of schemes are your local competitors offering?
Localised content
There has been a huge increase in addition content on ecommerce sites that enriches the customer’s experience. It can add value to their transaction and keep them coming back for more.
It is essential that you get this right in different markets. The content that you offer must be relevant to the consumers, rather than simply a translated version of what you offer your customers in your home market.
This might mean creating content for different devises. Consumers in one country might prefer to receive content on their mobiles, another might rather iPad offerings.
Look after brand identity
Despite the fact that your global business is reaching people in different cultures with different preferences, you must retain a consistent brand identity if you are going to achieve longevity.
This may seem difficult – how can you please everyone? You must be careful to choose messaging and branding that appeals to as many customers as possible. Your brand should remain recognisable from every country in the world.
You can learn lessons from the international business giants, who manage to achieve branding that transcends boarders. Look at Apple, Google, Facebook and Starbucks. Their message remains the same, when their customers travel, they see a brand the recognise and are instantly drawn in.
Beware of infringements
It is an unfortunate downside to exporting but different countries have different attitudes when it comes to protecting intellectual property. When you are trying to establish a sustainable brand presence, you need to protect this brand from potential threats.
“In China and India counterfeiting and piracy are much more widespread, leaving greater risk for brands to be infringed upon,” warns Simon Jackson, chief commercial officer at NetNames.
“Furthermore, emerging markets are generally far less regulated in terms of counterfeits and intellectual property compared to the EU and US where powerful bodies exist to monitor, control and enforce laws that protect online assets.
“Ultimately, those who adopt a proactive, precautionary attitude to international web marketing will successfully protect their brands online identity and continue to see the benefits of establishing a global multi-channel presence.”
Get feedback
It is essential that you listen to your customer base – no matter where they are. You need to make sure you ask for feedback from your customers in a way that is familiar to them.
One way to ensure they feel like you are a local retailer is to outsource customer service to a centre in that country. Having a local number to call can make a huge difference when it comes to engaging with a new, overseas brand.
