eCommerce
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An eCommerce/digital strategy is cited as the #1 business consideration for growing online overseas sales. This process is not a technology project; it is a customer acquisition tool and what your customers want online. Check out our five part video series on eCommerce!Â
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eCommerce Sales Channels
Selling through your own website gives you control over your own data and content design, and special pricing. However websites require routine quarterly SEO audits, and will require the use of professional service providers to achieve your desired ecommerce sales goals. For a technical and strategic look at the internationalization of your website for the purpose of increasing overseas sales, please read more on our Website Globalization Review Gap Analysis Service.
Key Considerations for a Website as a Sales Channel:
•   Be conscientious of what you put on your website & how it will be accessed in other markets
•   Bandwidth, internet speed, and internet access vary across markets
•   Language may be a barrier to access, is your site intuitive?
Online Marketplaces are a great addition to your sales channel mix in that they present your products to a wider audience from a trusted source. Potential downsides of online marketplaces deal with returns, dispute resolution, fee structures, and intellectual property rights issues. Â
Online marketplaces may differ in overseas markets-- Which online marketplaces are most popular in your target overseas market? Contact a Trade Specialist today to find out more for your online business!
Social Media as a sales channel is a great way to build brand following and connect directly with your consumer base, as well as using your social media accounts correctly it can boost your website’s SEO rankings. The downside to Social Media as an overseas sales channel is that it requires constant monitoring, local overseas media representation is recommended, and results vary widely depending on product and approach to social media.
If you are new to digital marketing, it’s recommended that an ecommerce service provider get involved for any in-depth planning with your overseas online marketing campaigns.
Having a local overseas partner or distributor that has used SEO to improve their sales allows you to more quickly and cheaply enter a local online market than if you were to attempt to enter the market on your own. Check out our Gold Key Service, which provides U.S. companies with matchmaking appointments with up to five interested partners in a foreign market.
Do you have an in country distributor as a part of your online strategy?  If so, then you need to work on an in-country strategy to avoid  channel conflict with existing distributors.
Adapting to Local Markets on Your Own
- Requires market research
- Understanding of the target market
- Understanding of the people/consumers in a target market
- Creating localized marketing campaigns
- Creating localized website content for target market
- Developing a network to build credibility
Local Distributors/Partners
- Have local market research & understanding
- Understand their customers/your target market
- Already have localized marketing campaigns
- Already have localized website, and just need your content
- Already have a target market network and credibilityÂ
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