If your business is growing and you’re starting to wonder what’s next, you may have considered expanding your reach to different markets around the world. It’s no secret that brands who sell products online want visibility from as many potential customers as possible, and that requires optimizing your strategy to make it easy for customers to shop no matter where they are. Digital retail sales are expected to grow past 4.3 trillion in the U.S. alone in the coming years, signaling a growing demand for better customer experiences and optimized online storefronts.
The following are some challenges you may face when expanding your online store to serve customers across international borders.
Challenges
Currency Exchange
When dealing with constantly fluctuating exchange rates across currencies, it can be a challenge to manage region-specific elements of a transaction. In order to provide familiar payment options to all your customers no matter where they are, you will need a tech stack that can automatically recognize and adjust to a customer’s location.
Logistics and Fulfillment
Especially with import taxes and duties on the rise, shipping internationally can be a challenge as well for retailers trying to capitalize on the growing global market. It can be even more of a challenge when managing returns, as shipping costs can be much higher when packages are traveling overseas.
Language Barriers
There are many nuances with language and translations, for example, in the U.K. what we might refer to as a “sweater” is called a “jumper.” Small differences like this can cause friction in the shopping experience, so it’s important to be aware of the potential for confusion if translations are not accurate.
Customer Service
Customer support can be a powerful way for retailers to build better relationships with their customers, increase loyalty, and grow trust with their brand. However, another challenge many retailers will likely run into when expanding to global markets is the difference between time zones and languages – both will impact your ability to provide fast and reliable customer support.
Technology
Your technology can help or hurt your efficiency and performance, your CRM, eCommerce platform, and other eCommerce tools must be optimized to adapt across geographical locations. With an eCommerce platform that’s built for customization throughout your tech stack, you will be able to integrate technology that supports adaptability across borders.
With these challenges in mind as you start planning your global eCommerce strategy, consider the following best practices to help you get a head start.
Best Practices
International SEO
Simply translating content word-for-word won’t capture the nuances that will help you create a marketing strategy built for maximum visibility. Consider all of the elements that may differ around the world, like language, currency, units of measurement, and even visual elements can have an impact not just on the customer experience but on your visibility in search results as well.
Partner with Local Vendors
To make shipping and fulfillment more efficient, consider partnering with local suppliers and logistics vendors. This way you can expand your reach and meet growing expectations while building better relationships with your fulfillment partners as well.
Choose the Right Platform
The most valuable advice for optimizing your global eCommerce strategy is to choose an eCommerce platform that’s just as invested in your success as you are. You will need an eCommerce platform that is powerful and highly connective, as you’ll likely be adding many new technologies to your back-end system to build a global strategy. This can be a delicate process, as adding new technology could help you grow, but it can also slow down performance and hold you back if you don’t have the experience to build custom integrations or respond if something goes wrong.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’re ready to increase eCommerce conversions and unlock global growth, consider switching to an eCommerce platform that’s built to grow with you. Virid’s eCommerce platform marketAgility is designed for maximum flexibility and control, you can pick and choose vendors to support your unique needs without the extra fees or labor. To ensure your global eCommerce strategy is effective, you’ll need a platform partnership that enables your success. Schedule a consultation today to get the most out of your global eCommerce experience.
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