Are You Ready to Take Your Business to An International Market

As an ecommerce business, you are gifted with the wide reach that selling via the internet offers. Just because you started off in a local area doesn’t mean you’re confined to that space. However, we understand that the thought of tapping into international markets can be intimidating. Here are some tips to ensure your business is up to the challenge.

Do your research

Rein in that excitement to branch out and do your research first. Take the Brooklyn-founded shoelace company, Hickies, for example. Before diving into the international market, they ran a campaign on Kickstarter so they could find out where their products would gain the most traction. This will help lessen the chances of your business losing money from expanding to a location that isn’t interested in what you’re selling. Once you figure out where you want to expand to, look into the cultural norms and practices of that region- maybe you need to alter your marketing campaign to make it more appropriate. Ads are never one-size-fits-all. This would also be a good time to do a little research on your competitors as well.

Dip your toes in

Because this is such a big endeavor, avoid getting in way over your head. There’s nothing wrong with starting small. Try starting off with international shipping options for your customers and test how successful your business can be with internationally without blowing all of your money on adapting your site or business for their markets. You can also use international marketplaces like Amazon and eBay to expand the reach of your products. You can use their established global presence without having to worry about the logistics of facilitating international orders. Amazon Global covers fulfillment and shipping, and even offers 24/7 customer support in the local language of your customers.

Master localization

Once you’ve established which specific countries you’re going to sell to, it’s time to master localization. This entails creating individual subdomains or websites for each country. This way, you can customize the websites for locations that offer the most ecommerce. Even things like specialized local offers can help your customers from abroad feel taken care of. Customer experience can define your brand and your company’s overall success.

Build your online presence

What good are all of your efforts if no one knows about them? Nowadays, the best way to reach people is through social media. With this in mind, it’s absolutely crucial that you have a strong social media and online presence to reach your customers and build a stronger relationship to keep them coming back. Use your content to share useful information for all of your consumers, even those abroad. Consider crafting posts or special sales to celebrate various global holidays.

Need help solidifying your brand before taking it to international markets? Our team of experts here at Kraus Marketing is ready to help you with all of your branding and digital marketing needs. Contact us today to learn more!