Your Guide to International eCommerce Business Expansion

Did you know that the current world population is 7.9 billion people? According to estimations elaborated by worldometers.info, this number is expected to reach 8 billion by 2022. If you are wondering why this figure is relevant, consider what it represents in terms of growth opportunities for your international eCommerce.

In this blog, we prepared a complete guide to help you with your cross-border planning. Going far is not only possible: This is the best time to pursue international business expansion.

Latest Facts about eCommerce 

Digitalisation has significantly changed our way of shopping. As the reach of the internet broadens and becomes more stable in all regions of the world, the options for international transactions increase, benefiting consumers in multiple ways. However, before jumping into the essential steps for your international eCommerce success, let us analyse some recent data.

A Peek into the Near Past

In 2020, over two billion people shopped online, and eCommerce sales exceeded USD 4.2 trillion worldwide. The scenario is multilingual: Among the five countries with the highest eCommerce growth in 2020 were Argentina, Canada, Singapore, Mexico, and Russia.

Outlook for the Future

As for the coming years, research estimates that this trend will continue. Again, countries with diverse cultures and languages will be on the podium of the compound annual growth rate: Projections show Turkey first, followed by Argentina, Indonesia, South Africa, and India.

#OptimationalTip: Whether it is the comfort of shopping from a mobile device, avoiding long queues in shops, or because there are more alternatives available, people will keep buying online. Therefore, having a multilingual store will be a strategic advantage.

Step by Step: A Guide for International eCommerce

While every country is experiencing a steady increase in eCommerce usage, each location is a new opportunity that also presents unique and distinct challenges to go global.

Here are the key steps you should take to achieve a multilingual eCommerce with a successful global presence.

Research Potential International eCommerce Markets

Knowing where to invest is fundamental to meeting people who will become your prospects. Whether you aspire to grow quickly or take it slow, you need to consider two steps for a promising entry: Identify where your business will be profitable and get the right eCommerce translation services.

You can use free tools such as Google Trends and Google Analytics to get your research started. However, it is also advisable to use techniques such as SWOT analysis, Focus Group, etc. Also, you can benefit from data available on your competitors to identify any gaps. As for Focus Group and other field studies, you can turn to specialised professionals who will provide you with first-hand data to complement the information you already have.

Finally, you should also consider the level of brand awareness for your international eCommerce. Is your brand well-known in your target market? It takes more time, effort, and budget to establish a reputation if it is relatively new.

Learn more about the importance of conducting research.

Prepare Your International eCommerce for New Challenges

International business expansion brings challenges that go beyond finding the right prospects. It is like starting from scratch again, with the advantage of knowing the process and its timing. In this section, we refer to the legal and documentary requirements you must fulfil. Each country has its own taxes, duties, and customs procedures. Moreover, this can also vary within countries, as in the USA, where each state has its own legislation.

Start small and strategically. As mentioned, start with your eCommerce website translation and then consider your company’s available resources—professionals, budget, tools, etc. Do not set overly ambitious goals that can compromise your business’s productivity and your team’s performance. Instead, you can begin by targeting a few countries with high growth potential. This will generate profits and help you understand the international experience and the kind of challenges you have to face—while taking moderate risks.

#OptimationalTip: Appropriate research will also help prepare for the challenges and requirements your international eCommerce needs to address. Moreover, this will give you a clearer idea of profitability—considering the possible drawbacks and not just likely revenues.

Localise for Your New Targets

Do you want to succeed? Then localise everything. Treat your new customers in the same way you treat your domestic market audience. Provide an experience that feels unique and personalised, as if you have tailored your services for each customer.

To set up a localised experience, relying on eCommerce Translation Services is just the first step. Language and culture always go together, but it is more than changing the terminology. Get familiar with your prospects’ way of thinking, how they organise their ideas, what they prioritise, and which are their expectations. And after that, keep going further: Which is their behaviour as customers? How do they make transactions?

After you have answers to all of these questions, you can start by adapting your speech, your international SEO strategy, your website’s usability, and even by following locally relevant offers.

Set Up Payment and Shipping Options

You gained the attention of your prospects, and they are just one step away to become real customers: What is next? Prepare your international eCommerce for conversion. This stage of the process is also about localisation since you have to provide a pleasant end-to-end experience. Consider the following aspects:

• Which currency is available for payments? Apart from your local currency or USD, you should offer their local one as an option.
• Are you providing your prospects with enough payment options? Consider different virtual wallets, credit cards, and even cryptocurrency.
• Will you ship internationally? Be clear about the delivery times and the taxes included (or excluded).
• Have you considered local shipping? Get a partnership with a local supplier for cheaper shipping and shorter delivery times.

From the moment customers find needs unmet, they can imagine the crucial moment of getting what they want, which raises certain expectations. For this reason, the process of payment and delivery has a big impact on customer satisfaction. Build a great relationship with your customers and increase the likelihood of them buying again and recommending your international eCommerce.

#OptimationalTip: Localisation is a primary need if you aim for steady growth. Creating a multilingual store is the first step, but also remember to localise the advertising of your products as well, regardless of the platforms in which you promote them.

Optimise Your International eCommerce for Mobiles

Have you thought about optimising your multilingual eCommerce for mobile?

The eCommerce experience is evolving. Being operational or responsive on phones and tablets is no longer enough if you want to get the most out of an online shopping experience.

People are expecting that the design of your international eCommerce is also optimised for purchases made from mobiles. What do we mean by this? First, you need to study the market to get to know these consumers’ backgrounds. For this, you can consider questions such as: What is the average age of users? What is their preferred mobile device? Do they rather text or interactive content, such as videos?

Despite how much importance people confer on their mobiles, there is one fact for sure: They often turn to these devices to make transactions faster and avoid using the computer. Bear this in mind so that your site provides a 100% personalised experience: Who would not want to use a multilingual eCommerce site that provides a user-friendly experience?

Be Present on Social Media

Your launch plan is almost complete; you have already secured your eCommerce website translation, compliance with regional regulations, and so on. The next step is to get brand awareness and connect with your prospects who are waiting (perhaps without knowing it) in different corners of the world. 

While you should consider several advertising strategies for your international eCommerce—and discuss them with your marketing team—, we will mention the most relevant one: Promote your business on social media. Sites and apps like Instagram, Twitter, etc., have the power to get you where you want to go. 

Did you know that there are 4.48 billion social media users globally? This is a snapshot as of July 2021, but you will see this trend increasing each year if you look at the statistics over time. So, if you have not yet considered all the benefits of a good online presence, remember that 57% of the world’s population is out there, reading posts, chatting, or just scrolling through social media.

#OptimationalTip: Each country has its preferences, and this influences the usage statistics; for example, in China, some of the preferred social networks are QQ and Weibo, and in Korea, the KakaoTalk Apps repertoire is more popular. You will also need to localise in this area to succeed at the business expansion. 

Final Thoughts: Prepare Your Multilingual Store for Expansion

This is the best time to scale up a cross-border business. Due to the reach of the internet and globalisation, international eCommerce has relevance and popularity that is not only booming but will continue to increase. To successfully go global, you must remember to take into account the cultural differences, requiring you to adapt to each local market’s needs. To this end, it will be of great value to rely on strategic partners to contribute to your business’ outreach.

Therefore, if you are preparing for your business expansion, contact us today. We can help you with an adequate translation and localisation of your content.