Your Guide to successful cross-border e-commerce
Thanks to the internet, today’s world is well connected in terms of communication, knowledge sharing, telecommuting and researching. However, the biggest trend of them all is cross-border trade.
With cross-border e-commerce, brands are no longer entitled to just one geographic location. Selling your products internationally is no longer a distant dream. In fact, if you want to thrive online, you have to go global. The e-commerce industry is clearly based on the “sell anywhere” motto.
Cross-border e-commerce is profitable.
As long as you remain a local business, there will always be limitations on the number of people who can discover and buy your product(s). However, once you tap into the limitless opportunities of global trade, you are going to meet more people who are eager to find your products.
The frequency of online consumer purchases is increasing year after year. A recent survey on global e-commerce found that seven in ten online shoppers make cross-border purchases.
Another benefit for global e-commerce is that you might actually find you’re successful pricing your products at a premium when selling in foreign markets, especially if your product is unavailable in that region.
Let us examine the key factors that can help you grow your online brand beyond the borders and how to further grow your profits.
- Localise SEO campaigns and ads
Familiarise yourself with the major keywords and phrases of the market regardless of whether it is your native tongue or not. The words/phrases that might get the people in your town/country excited may not work for other markets and it's natural if they don’t respond the same way while hearing a phrase or word as you do.
Ex. The regional phrases and words will be different for different English-speaking countries around the globe, even in accents or pronunciations. While American English is known for its clear /r/ sounds, British or Australian English lose the /r/ sound (especially if it's towards the end of the word).
An American will pronounce the word ‘smarter’ as /smɑrtər/, while an Aussie will pronounce it as /smɑrtə/.
- Study your local competition
Researching your competition will give you a fair idea of how to price your product in the new market. Understand how people shop in various countries. You will be surprised to see changes in shopping behaviour as you change the location.
- Offer localised payment options
Make sure your business supports both traditional and alternative payment options while marketing globally. Check for the payment methods popular in that locale and see if you can integrate it into your business. You should also check the type of currencies your payment merchant accepts and the extra charges incurred from this.
- International and local shipping options
Every international shipping company requires a local courier for transferring the packages or for that ‘last-mile delivery’. A major challenge with this option is that the local courier may/may not track deliveries, or provide delivery proof thus creating last-minute delivery issues and confusions.
Looking for local e-commerce support in Canberra, Australia?
It is always a brilliant option to hire local support to help secure your new locale. At PlanetMedia, we give retailers the business intelligence they need to drive digital store traffic and sales. We do this through our performance analytics, store development/optimisation, technical SEO, conversion rate optimisation, and paid media services.
Not sure what you need? No problem. Our specialist team will create a custom strategy for your business to get the best ROI. We truly care about your growth (and achieving it as efficiently as possible!)