We are hearing more and more about cross-border ecommerce, but what is it? It is a series of commercial practices aimed at internationalizing sales in online stores. This article explains what you need to know to implement this strategy. Keep reading.
How do I turn my digital store into a cross-border e-commerce?
As you might imagine, there are several aspects that you need to pay particular attention to in order to implement this plan, such as carrying out a commercial, logistic and strategic analysis.
To make sure your business is stepping out on the right foot along this path, you need to invest in research and develop a series of strategies that are aimed at internationalization and an increase in output from your online store. If you don’t know where to begin, you can apply the structure of a traditional business plan, with its same three phases (analysis, models, tactics, etc).
Some of the areas that you need to consider in order to do this would include legislation, economy, geography, language and culture and the competition.
Advantages of international ecommerce
There are many benefits to this kind of business. First of all, it gives you the chance to increase sales in your online store, which will enable you to expand your business. But not just that:
Reduction in costs
In some countries the costs for producing your products might be lower. As such, you can become more competitive, since a lower price tag is always an incentive for buyers.
Prestige
It is not news that companies that are present in several countries (multinationals) enjoy more credibility and trust from their users. Therefore, the fact that your business sells its products abroad will improve your brand image and attract more customers.
New points of view
Leaving your comfort zone is always a good idea and if it’s for the purpose of innovation so that your business can grow, even more so. Beyond our borders, you’ll find new customers with other motivations, which will allow you to analyze in depth what it is that the new market you’re aiming at is seeking.
Increased sales
When you start to look at new horizons, you’re giving your business a boost which, with a good strategy, can take it to stunning new heights. And if you are the first to offer services that were missing in your new destination, your sales will multiply and you’ll gain enormous confidence from your buyers.
How do I adapt my online store to international markets?
We have already said that there are several factors that need to be taken into consideration to implement this plan. Translating the website alone is not enough…
It is highly advisable that you seek advice on both technical and linguistic matters, because as well as the translation, it is essential that you understand the sociocultural context of the target market. Among our other recommendations, we would say that it is essential that you hire the services of a professional translator so that the translation fits the sociocultural context that we mentioned above.
An automatic translator will be unable to help with this, but it may also make mistakes with the translation. The way you communicate with your potential customers must be appropriate, i.e. completely understandable.
Remember that when it comes to marketing, every detail is important. For this reason, you need to finalize every detail on your website and not just focus on the content. In this case, it would be a good idea to get advice on what works with consumers in each country. Many factors influence this: the type of education, whether you should be more direct or, on the contrary, more restrained, which colors are more suitable and eye-catching for the website, etc.
Interesting facts on cross-border ecommerce
We want to provide some facts in regard to the potential behind cross-border ecommerce so that you can see the importance of committing to this way of business. In Spain alone, 28% of online businesses have already translated their website into one or more foreign languages. In this regard, we are ahead of countries like the United Kingdom, with 24%, or Germany and France, which haven’t yet reached 20%. What does this mean? A business opportunity. The competition is still not too high and this is to your advantage.
Expand your business with the help of Blarlo
In conclusion, we can say that the cross-border ecommerce strategy requires a process of internationalization that has gone through the necessary analyses and that has a high-quality translation, as well as taking into consideration current trends in digital marketing. At Blarlo, we are able to help you, thanks to our professional translators. Contact us if you have any questions on how to implement your cross-border ecommerce plan. We will help you reach your goals.
This post is also available in: Español (Spanish) Français (French) Deutsch (German)
