If you’re thinking of expanding your market beyond your own borders but aren’t quite sure how to proceed, there’s nothing stopping international customers from shopping across borders thanks to the internet.
Forrester predicted that cross-border transactions would exceed domestic transactions by 17% between 2017 and 2022, and current sales are bearing that statistic out.
How to Sell Abroad?
When it comes to selling automated linkedin network building abroad, the most realistic and cost-effective way is to sell online. At this point, you can create your own e-commerce website with platforms like Shopify or enter an online marketplace like Amazon. Before you decide on this, you need to understand and establish an international e-commerce strategy
We recommend you read: How to Do E-commerce? How to Start E-commerce in 9 Steps?
1. Creating an International E-commerce Strategy
Ecommerce is a great opportunity to test your store abroad, but before you start expanding globally, you need to understand that every country is different and will require a unique strategy.
You can determine if your with a solution provider ecommerce business is ready for global expansion by evaluating key areas:
Operations
You need to make sure your existing resources are equipped to handle international expansion. Your team should either have experience in international sales or be willing to expand their knowledge and skill set. If your budget allows, you can set up separate teams for global and local operations.
Product demand and international supply
Using SEO and Analytics tools, you consumer data can measure how often foreign customers visit your site and understand what products they purchase most often. This will help you determine which products you can sell and which you should avoid as you expand.
Expansion scope
By outlining your scope of expansion, it will be easier to identify and define some concrete tasks on the business front, such as creating alternative payment methods, adapting your website design for an international audience, restructuring your content in different languages, etc. This outline will help you understand the needs of your new market.
2. Creating an Ecommerce Store with Website Builder
Website builders like Wix and Shopify help you create your eCommerce store easily. You don’t even need to learn coding and other technical aspects to create your store. You can simply create one by following a few steps.
These types of websites are great for selling internationally as they provide you with the proper tools and support. These platforms help you successfully sell your products in an international market. They also offer a level of predictability when it comes to the cost of running your website.
Some of these platforms even offer tools dedicated to helping merchants break into global marketplaces. For example, Shopify Markets offers tools to help you reach new consumers around the world by customizing their experiences to increase conversions, growth, and success.
3. Selling Through Online Marketplaces
There are also various online marketplaces that offer an alternative for those looking to sell globally. Some popular and preferred marketplaces include:
- eBay
- Alibaba
- Amazon
- Rakuten
These platforms give your business access to a ready-made, international audience and customers. For example, when selling on eBay, you can choose the locations you want to ship your product to, which opens up your potential customer base exponentially.
Another benefit of using these platforms is that you can sell much faster than if you create your own site. All you have to do here is upload your products, select and customize some relevant options, and put them up for sale. However, this can be very expensive as these marketplaces charge higher fees than if you were to run your own store. Marketplaces can be a great option when combined with your own site. You can benefit from ready international reach and sell at a lower cost.