How to sell internationally online: The simple guide to start successfully
In case you’re doing business online extremely well and have a huge number of loyal customers domestically, the next activity you should consider is expanding international sales. Then, why don’t you think of selling online internationally? If you’re still wondering whether to sell internationally or don’t know how to sell internationally online effectively, the following article by Arrowtheme will give you the great answer. So, let’s explore right now!
The reasons you should start selling internationally online
#1. Enhance your customer bases in many target markets
First and foremost, the study of Pitney Bowes indicated that 40% of online buyers bought something from a different country. This is really an ideal number. So, if you switch from selling in one country to selling in several, you will be able to dramatically extend your consumer base with ease in a short time. Not only that, maybe in other countries, you will have less competition than selling domestically along with a higher level of demand from international buyers. Hence, some of your current products may sell better globally than they do in your native country.
#2. Possibilities for increasing your brand awareness
Besides, you may grow your brand’s recognition outside of your own country by getting your brand recognized abroad. However, the most important thing you should keep in mind is that while expanding your brand worldwide, you must ensure that your branding and messaging are tailored to international buyers’ beliefs, values, and cultures. Thanks to that, your products will easily catch the eyes of foreign consumers.
#3. Global markets are growing at a faster rate
The last but not as inferior as important is the growing extremely fast pace of global markets. By 2022, it is estimated that cross-border purchases will account for 20% of all global ecommerce. So, this is the best time for you to build your business faster by reaching clients on a worldwide scale. And, escalate your growth at a higher rate than you could locally by expanding into international markets. In fact, there is a lot of untapped potential in expanding around the globe. So, just need your international shipping plan set up carefully to assure profitability and keep logistics costs low. Then, your business will surely be successful.
How to sell internationally online successfully?
In case you’re wondering not to know how to sell internationally online well, Arrowtheme will suggest some effective tips for you to start below.
#1. Verify your payment service provider carefully
First of all, checking your payment service provider sounds common sense, but it’s extremely important to double-check. This is because there are a lot of payment providers that have policies in place that limit the countries from which you can accept payments. With PayPal, Square, Visa, and other payment processors, you can totally rest assured. Because they always tell you where they accept payments. On the other hand, different payment options will work effectively with different ecommerce platforms.
What’s more, you should look for a payment provider with a good global reputation if you need assistance with international payment processing. Best of all, you might include their logos in the footer of your website to build trustworthiness with your clients. Additionally, if you sell online internationally, the payment alternatives you provide will be a deciding factor for many buyers. Therefore, you have to learn and research the payment methods carefully. Hence, you can choose the most popular payment methods in international markets.
#2. Calculate shipping cost ahead of time – How to sell internationally online effectively?
As you probably know, due to distance, customs, and taxes, international shipping is more expensive than domestic shipping. So, you must pre-calculate shipping international cost carefully. Most importantly, ensure you evaluate shipping and handling charges before you start selling worldwide. Then, it will ensure you make a profit in the end. Not only are foreign shipping prices included, but you must also consider fulfillment, warehousing, and shipping materials. What’s more, depending on the customer’s destination country, you can also customize delivery methods and pricing. For instance, slow and expedited shipment, flat-rate shipping, real-time rates, or free shipping over a particular threshold.
#3. Optimize your online store
The next tip is also the most essential things you should focus on is boosting your online store optimization. Simply speaking, your website serves as the purchasing nexus for all of your clients, regardless of where they shop. Besides, you can build separate online storefronts for each country or region, depending on the size of your business. Moreover, using a multi-language translator tool is also a perfect solution to enhance your present website for international buyers. Even better, you can construct landing pages that are customized and suited for particular countries or areas. As a result, they will surely grab potential customer’s attention well.
#4. Look for a reliable third-party fulfillment company
When entering a new foreign market, asking a third-party logistics (3PL) partner for help to assist you with practically every facet of digital fulfillment and shipping is the best choice. When interviewing 3PLs, inquire about their foreign fulfillment services and how they might support you in getting up and running swiftly. Furthermore, if you are planning to focus a lot in foreign sales, ensure the 3PL you choose has fulfillment centers all over the world and plans to expand into new countries. Best of all, you can spread your inventory over various locations throughout the world in this way to reach your consumers faster and track the full fulfillment process in one place.
Which factors should you consider about how to sell internationally online successfully?
Customer behavior & culture of foreign countries
First of all, you have to take into account different countries’ cultural norms and consumer behavior to ensure this market is suitable for your products. Besides, you must take a note that in some cultures and countries, not all products are acceptable or legal. Also, keeping track of worldwide product and market trends will assist you in making better selections about which products to offer in specific countries.
International pricing – How to sell internationally online successfully?
What’s more, the product’s cost is also an important factor that you must evaluate. If you’re looking to grow into international markets, you’ll need to consider how much money the average consumer has. As previously said, shipping costs are greater internationally, therefore if you sell a low-priced item with a shipping cost that is even higher than the item, you will likely see a higher cart abandonment rate as more customers may abandon their carts when they are startled at checkout. Most importantly, you should keep a close check on your landing cost, which takes into account import customs and delivery fees.
Purchasing and payment habits
Although most countries have their own currency, payment companies cannot promise that every country’s currency will be supported. Because selling internationally online can’t accept cash, you’ll need to make sure overseas customers can pay online. Additionally, although credit cards are the most common form of online payment, depending on each market, you may also need to accept payments using digital wallets or other payment methods such as PayPal.
Main differences between advertising and marketing
The advertising in foreign nations can make you confused because it can’t be accomplished through avenues you are unfamiliar with. Besides, paid social media advertising may not be as effective in other countries, where traditional television advertising, for example, may be more effective. In addition, you should spend some time studying about how other ecommerce businesses in the country market and which channels have the most potential while examining how different countries advertise. Not only that, you should also keep an eye on your competition to see if any of them are selling globally before making a decision.
Costs of fulfillment – How to sell internationally online?
You can sell worldwide online while sitting at home, but you’ll still need to optimize your supply chain, which includes inventory movement and order fulfillment. The costs of overseas fulfillment, on the other hand, might quickly build up. Moreover, to complement their international ecommerce strategy, many ecommerce organizations prefer to collaborate with a fulfillment partner who can assist them with worldwide order fulfillment – whether through global locations or discounted shipping costs.
Legislation, fees, and taxes
The types of things that can be imported from other countries are often restricted in many countries. It could be as simple as a single ingredient in your product. However, just because your product is permitted to transport to a country does not mean it will be inexpensive. Hence, before deciding to expand selling online overseas, you have to check rules, taxes, and import charges of each country. From that, you will figure out where you can legally sell your goods and how much it will cost you.
Furthermore, in case your buyers are unaware of the additional duties they will be required to pay in order to receive their delivery, they may never claim it. And, you may be held liable for any packages that are held up at customs. In fact, DDP shipping may appear to be more expensive than DDU. Nevertheless, you won’t have to worry about goods being returned if a customer refuses to pay additional customs and fails to accept the delivery when it arrives in their country of destination.
In conclusion
To sum up, this blog is almost all helpful and simple information to instruct you how to sell internationally online successfully. Arrowtheme hopes you can take advantage of this guide above to apply for your online store. Then, you will easily have a bigger customer base and gain high profit quickly.
