![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/thegood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Alibaba-homepage-2016-1024x292.png\")
International Ecommerce: Logistics as Customer Experience (CX)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Chances are good that you\u2019re already receiving international traffic to your website, and that some of that traffic consists of potential customers. Once you\u2019ve determined you want to actively pursue orders from abroad, you\u2019ll need to consider certain barriers: language differences, payment methods, shipping logistics, and such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Decide how to present an international ecommerce website presence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Your first critical decision is concerned with how to present the products you want to sell. You have three primary choices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- You can use your current .com domain and create subdomains for each country or common-language region (Example: italy.myproduct.com)<\/li>
- You can use your current .com domain, use folders to house country or region-specific webpages (Example: myproduct.com\/italy\/)<\/li>
- You can create a separate website on a country-level domain (Example: myproduct.it)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
While this is primarily a technical decision, remember to keep customer experience<\/a> (CX) as a primary factor in your decision. Visitors should feel comfortable and safe on your website. Shopping with you should be easy and enjoyable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utilize localized third-party sites to test the waters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
To participate in China\u2019s multibillion-dollar Singles Days sale, many brands simply offered their products via Alibaba. Why fight the giant when you don\u2019t have to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Selling by way of an already localized third-party site can be an excellent way to get your feet wet in international ecommerce marketing. There\u2019s much to learn, and the associated risks aren\u2019t nearly as great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can use someone else\u2019s website to test the waters and get a feeling for how much demand there is for your products within the region that site serves. And the third-party sites will often have most of the logistics, such as shipping, worked out for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider the CX of international ecommerce shipping<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Shipping costs are one of the primary barriers to international ecommerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Time to delivery and landed price are crucial factors every customer will consider when it\u2019s time to check out. Failing to properly address the effect of shipping on total price is a common contributing factor to shopping cart abandonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFailing to address the effect of shipping on total price contributes to shopping cart abandonment. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll want to get advice and bids from shippers that serve the regions you want to service. The variables are many \u2013 product type, weight, dimensions, and durability, for instance. Perhaps you will want to ship in bulk to a fulfillment facility in-country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do the legwork for the customer; make the process smooth and easy to understand. At checkout time, there should be no surprises or lurking questions. Just make sure the information you collect is sufficient for the localized address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make a real splash online, offer free international shipping, or even a flat rate. That will lower your margin and\/or push your listed prices up, but customers will appreciate that you\u2019ve considered how they will get your products, and they aren\u2019t left to figure that out on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You won\u2019t be able to accurately predict profit and break-even volume until you\u2019ve accounted for every factor involved in fulfillment. Here are two helpful websites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The UPS TradeAbility<\/a> International Tools page is an excellent resource for getting started with landed cost estimates as well as the licensing and regulation requirements you will need to consider.<\/li>
- This import duty calculator<\/a> provides information on import duty and taxes. Accurate costing data is essential to arriving at your estimated ROI.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Enlisting the help of an established seller can get your goods to market quickly and provide an excellent mentoring\/learning situation in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pitney Bowes offers a turnkey approach to global ecommerce via their Borderfree Retail solution. CDS Global is another provider of international ecommerce services. And, of course, don\u2019t overlook the potential of sites like Alibaba and Amazon as entry-level options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/thegood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Pitney-Bowes\u2019-Borderfree-1024x274.png\")
A screenshot from Pitney Bowes\u2019 Borderfree page<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n Consider the payment methods you will accept<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
As with shipping, don\u2019t put this burden on the customer. Once you\u2019ve identified the countries you want to target, find out which methods of payment are most popular there. Not only do many of your potential customers not speak English, many of them don\u2019t like using a credit card for payment either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your online presence should always be geared towards one person: the customer. Make sure visitors are able to choose the currency they want to use and the payment method they most trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\nYour online presence should always be geared towards one person: the customer. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n
In France, for instance, Carte Blue debit cards are preferred. The Netherlands likes iDEAL. Finland, Sweden, and Germany prefer bank transfers. Japanese consumers are okay with credit cards, but many prefer using Konbinis. Alipay is the go-to method for Chinese buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To optimize your international ecommerce sales, know the customer\u2019s preference and offer it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTo optimize your international ecommerce sales, know the customer\u2019s preference and offer it. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n
Offering the best international ecommerce CX<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Take care of the \u201cbig rocks\u201d first. Make the overarching decisions that will affect many smaller decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Determine the type of online presence you will use<\/li>
- Get a firm grip on the total (landed) shipping expenses<\/li>
- Find out which payment methods are most popular with the customer segments you will market to and get registered to use them<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
At The Good, we often find that clients want to agonize over the finer and more technical points \u2013 how to deal with translations, whether or not to place a country flag on the site, whether to use a drop-down box or tabs for country selection, and such \u2013 before making those initial choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A top-down approach to planning helps ensure you don\u2019t waste time worrying about things of little or no final significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s an example: You can put considerable thought and debate into how the visitor will choose which translation he or she prefers. Depending on the type of website presence you select, though, it may be possible to simply have the visitor automatically redirected to the appropriate page. In that case, the selection tool issue becomes a moot point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
International Ecommerce: Localization and Cultural Considerations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The issues we have been speaking of are often treated under the broad banner of \u201clocalization.\u201d In order to differentiate between the components you have no control over, though, and the things you can influence, let\u2019s talk about localization and personalization separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For our purposes, then, \u201clocalization\u201d is concerned with cultural and national differences. It is that subset of issues that can catch you completely off guard if you don\u2019t do your homework. For instance, a \u201ccookie\u201d in the USA is known as a \u201cbiscuit\u201d in Europe. Not only is that a critical distinction for labeling, but the SEO ramifications are huge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not only important to deliver your content in the language of the customer (localization), for example, but to go beyond that and understand the nuances of the language (personalization).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to celebrate Black Friday year-round<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Imagine the impact on consumer retail marketing success if a foreign supplier decided to enter the U.S. market but didn\u2019t know about Black Friday. Would that seller miss out on a huge opportunity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same could happen to you in your international ecommerce ambitions. Here are just a few of the special holidays and events well-known in the countries where they\u2019re celebrated, but little-known in the U.S.A.:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Australia \u2013 Click Frenzy<\/li>
- Canada \u2013 Boxing Day<\/li>
- China \u2013 Singles Day<\/li>
- Egypt \u2013 Coptic Christmas<\/li>
- France \u2013 Les Soldes<\/li>
- Hong Kong \u2013 Lunar New Year<\/li>
- India \u2013 Great Online Shopping Festival<\/li>
- Poland \u2013 Women\u2019s Day<\/li>
- South Korea \u2013 Pepero Day<\/li>
- Venezuela \u2013 Carnival<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s just 10 of the dozens of similar celebrations that take place month after month. And while they may not all stir up the buying frenzy you\u2019re used to on Black Friday, the smart marketer will determine the nature of the upticks they do produce and see how to leverage them for increased sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The abundance of festivals, combined with the opportunities available in disparate climates and the seasonal reversal between the northern and southern hemispheres, opens doors you may have never considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Little things can make a big difference<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A website one person considers attractive and high-end may look ugly and low-class to another viewer. Cultural differences play a huge part in how we perceive a company\u2019s online presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCultural differences play a huge part in how we perceive a company\u2019s online presence. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s a look at part of the home page for Amazon\u2019s Chinese site, for instance. What do you think? Much, much different from the US version of the site!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Amazon's](\"https:\/\/thegood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/amazon-china-1024x333.png\")
Amazon’s Chinese Site<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n Here are three websites that highlight topics related to country-specific celebrations and cultural preferences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- PayPal Passport<\/a> \u2013 Basic data on consumer purchasing trends, customs, and shipping<\/li>
- The CIA World Factbook<\/a> \u2013 This is a huge repository of information on the countries of the world<\/li>
- Time and Date<\/a> \u2013 An exhaustive list of countries and holidays in those countries<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The more you know about a country and its people, the more capable you are of presenting your products in the best way and at the right time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
International Ecommerce: Internationalization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Prior to localization of your website, it is important to prepare for it through internationalization. By definition, internationalization is designing a product to meet the requirements of users from different countries or having your website designed in such a way that it can easy adapt to the needs of individual target markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Mr. Sean Hopwood, President and CEO of Day Translations, Inc., whose company provides high-quality language services, internationalization can be done by designing your website in such a way that its layout will work even if the content is translated or localized into different languages. As you know, when English is translated into other languages, the translation may be shorter or longer as different languages take up more or less space. In the context of translation, the process of internationalization means localization enablement wherein the services, products, marketing information and websites are planned for easy adaptation into local cultures and languages. Localization enablement may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The CIA World Factbook<\/a> \u2013 This is a huge repository of information on the countries of the world<\/li>
- PayPal Passport<\/a> \u2013 Basic data on consumer purchasing trends, customs, and shipping<\/li>
- This import duty calculator<\/a> provides information on import duty and taxes. Accurate costing data is essential to arriving at your estimated ROI.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- The UPS TradeAbility<\/a> International Tools page is an excellent resource for getting started with landed cost estimates as well as the licensing and regulation requirements you will need to consider.<\/li>