You’re not just stuck with your local market when it comes to selling. The world has never been as small as it is right now, and that means that it’s more than possible to begin offering your products and services to an international market. In so doing, you’ll be greatly expanding the number of potential customers. However, while there’s much potential when it comes to looking overseas, there are also some things to think about it — it’s more challenging than selling locally, which in itself is rarely a walk in the park. Check out some useful tips below to make sure you have the best chance of success.
Identify the Countries
It’s all good and well thinking about expanding into overseas territories, but you’ll need to be more precise if you’re going to target the new markets effectively. The world includes, well, all the countries — which ones, in particular, are you going to reach out to? Even when you’ve thought about which continent, you’ll need to go into more detail. You could say Europe, but there’s a big difference in consumer culture between, say, the UK and the South of Italy. As such, you’ll want to think about which overseas spots will be most receptive to your goods.
Local Language
If you’re going to market your company to other businesses effectively, then you’ll need to speak their language, at least somewhat. For instance, you should present your website in the local language. If the new country becomes a big part of your customer base, then you’ll also want to think about offering customer service help in that language too. This will obviously be less of a concern if you’re selling in English speaking countries (Canada, UK, Australia…) but even then, you’ll need to pay attention to language. It’s the same structure and so on, but the words — and how they’re said — will be different from the States.
Processing and Shipping
If your business involves receiving orders online and then shipping goods out, you’ll also need to think about updating your systems to reflect your international operations. First, let’s begin with orders. Integrate a system like BlueSnap, which is accepted in 180 countries across the globe, into your website. It’ll ensure that your international customers will be able to pay quickly and securely. From there, it’s about the shipping. If you’re sending many items overseas, then you’ll want to look at striking a deal with a delivery company to reduce costs. In some cases, it may even be worth setting up a warehouse in the other country, so that you can stock and deliver the goods as if you were locally based.
An Eye on Regulations
Finally, remember that each country is subject to taxes, customs fees, and so on. You may also need a license or other paperwork to trade in that country. Before going too deep into the planning stages of your expansion, make sure that there aren’t too many hoops you have to jump through before you can begin selling.
