As cross-border e-commerce sales continue to grow, more online brands are open to expanding into new markets. As we know, this is not easy and requires a lot of research, planning and preparation. We can also agree that international expansion is not for every company, but it can offer excellent opportunities to increase sales, brand awareness and customer reach.
If a brand is confident that international expansion is the right thing for them, we share five tips to consider to start and continue to grow and scale its business internationally.
1- Previous research: Know where your demand is and get to know your target market
When a company wants to expand internationally, it is essential to understand where the demand for the products is and consider the markets that have the potential to continue to grow. For example, you can find more information on our blog “Top Countries for US Fashion Brands to Expand Internationally” to find out where US fashion brands can grow their international footprint.
It is also essential to find the specific target market, then to research as much as possible about it, from language, age, taste, and use of social media to cultural customs, so that the company can effectively communicate the brand proposition and products. This way, it will have a higher chance to penetrate the market and eventually continue to grow successfully.
2- Use data in your favor to make informed decisions
Successful brands that continue to be competitive and grow have a system to collect data from their website and social media. For example, buying behavior, opinions, reviews, etc. These brands use this data to make informed decisions about what aspects should be improved and should invest in growing, whether in marketing campaigns, new product launches, inventory, etc.
When looking at consumer data, the main questions are: Where do the opportunities for the brand to grow to lay? And what areas of the business need to be improved?
3- Create a seamless user experience
For an e-commerce business to continue to grow, brands should prepare their website’s technical and design features. It is crucial to constantly test the website and listen to users’ opinions to make improvements that can lead to positive results. These improvements can be made in the shopping cart, product pages, or loading time. You can find more tips on our blog, “Top 5 Actions You Need to Take to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment.”
Regardless of what it is, the aim should be to make the shopping experience as seamless as possible to achieve high conversions. Ultimately, what consumers see and experience influences conversion.
4- Prepare your logistics process before expanding
Logistics is as essential as any other aspect of the business. One of the most important because without it, an e-commerce brand can’t deliver products sold to its customers. Logistics is also part of the shopping customer experience, so if the brand is not ready to offer the best possible experience for them, they will look elsewhere.
Finding the right cross-border shipping solution can be tricky, but once you do, it can play a significant role in your international growth journey. Offering the best possible shipping experience means being cost-effective and convenient to customers. BorderGuru is a reliable Shopify app that, as part of Hermes, a global logistics champion based in Germany, can offer competitive shipping rates and calculate tax and duties for 200 countries at checkout so your customers do not receive surprise fees at delivery.
If you work with a 3PL company, BorderGuru also covers your cross-border needs. Find out more about how our solution can be strategic for your brand in our blog “A 3PL Guide: Third-Party Logistics Companies Advantages and Disadvantages.”
5- Have in place metrics to measure performance
As already mentioned, data can benefit companies and lead to sustainable long-term growth. Therefore, having a process to measure business performance is a way to collect insightful data to decide whether something is working or needs changes and to find new opportunities. In addition to sales numbers, brands can also measure their social media pages, such as the number of followers, likes, comments, reach and clicks to visit their website.
Brands looking to grow internationally turn to Borderguru as a one-stop solution that can help their business ease international complexities and offer their customers the best shipping experience. We handle everything from product mapping, tax and duty calculation, filing, and more.
Are you ready to grow internationally? Start now by contacting us.