Scaling ecommerce stores: Your passport to global expansion and localization
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With billions of online shoppers worldwide, you have more opportunities than ever to reach new customers. Did you know that more than half of ecommerce shoppers buy from online stores in other countries? So, how can you tap into this global market?
Achieving worldwide expansion goes beyond adding new languages and currencies to your ecommerce store–you need to step up your search and merchandising game as well.
Advanced tools and technologies will have the biggest impact on which ecommerce companies succeed in their global expansions. Some trends to consider include:
Automation: Imagine automating your marketing, merchandising, inventory management, risk assessment–ecommerce solutions can make this a reality.
Artificial intelligence (AI): Leverage AI for order fulfillment, chatbots, personalized communication, product recommendations, and more. How can AI enhance your customer interactions?
Data integration: As your store expands across regions, channels, and markets, unifying data will help keep your brand intact and your data in order, from inventory and storefront platforms to merchandising and marketing tools.
Personalization: Create more meaningful shopping experiences through messaging, products, communications, and recommendations that align with shoppers’ past behavior, as well as the information they have provided. Shoppers will also have better experiences when they find what they want in less time.
Critical considerations for global ecommerce expansion
Expanding your ecommerce presence to other parts of the world can be a substantial investment of time and resources. It can also involve some risk, so it’s essential to ensure that you have the right strategies and tools in place from the outset.
Start by researching new markets and understanding the differences between your current customers and prospective audiences. When it comes to adapting your ecommerce site to new markets, the right AI-powered tools will do much of this work for you. However, learning about the market will help you decide whether it’s a good expansion location and help you make effective product and marketing-related decisions.
Consider these aspects of a potential new market to decide whether they’re a good fit and how your site may have to adapt:
Local culture: As your store expands across regions, channels, and markets, unifying data will help keep your brand intact and your data in order, from inventory and storefront platforms to merchandising and marketing tools.
Regulatory requirements: Commerce and ecommerce regulations can impact everything from data protection to shipping restrictions.
Economic conditions and influences: The economy may affect customer demand and pricing.
Currency risk and conversion fees: Each market’s currency and conversion rates affect how much you profit from transactions.
Payment options and preferences: Preferences vary worldwide, so knowing your options in advance will help you give customers the right choices.
Clothing and shoe size variations: Your tools and descriptions should automatically accommodate changes in sizing systems by region.
Local trends and buying preferences: Certain items may be popular in one market and not others, so it pays to follow trends when determining which products to recommend in new markets.
Local language, vocabulary, spelling, and messaging: Even small errors can have a big impact on your site’s credibility, so ensure you’re using tools smart enough to localize all aspects of your shop’s copy and product descriptions.
Time zone and seasonal differences: While it’s swim season in one part of the world, it’s parka season somewhere else, so displaying the right items will optimize sales.
Necessary taxes, tariffs, and duties: Buyer costs may affect how you collect payments and how competitively you can price certain items, so it’s important to be aware of these requirements.
Shipping and return expectations: International shipping and returns can get tricky, particularly with duties and taxes, so it’s important to establish expectations and educate customers on your policies and timeframes.
Common pitfalls to avoid when entering new markets
Understandably, many stores want to get into new markets as quickly as possible, but rushing can cause you to run into pitfalls. Consider these common mistakes and how to avoid them:
Not understanding market differences:Anticipate and avoid challenges by examining how new markets differ from your current customers. Properly setting up your storefronts now will save you time and money in the future.
Not offering the payment methods local buyers want or need to use:Researching preferred payment methods in new markets will make it more likely that shoppers who want to buy will follow through on purchases.
Translations that sound silly or don’t make sense:Customers may be wary of sites that haven’t invested in proper translation and language tools.
Search results aren’t localized or personalized. Search results and recommendations should reflect shoppers’ intent and preferences, both generally and specifically.
Ecommerce tech stack isn’t integrated: Your ecommerce tools should work together to create a better user experience. They should also sync data to provide you with actionable data and meaningful analytics.
Not localizing domains, product offerings, and site messaging: Shoppers should be able to see that they’ve landed on a site that understands them and caters to their preferences.
The more you can zero in on the behaviors and preferences of your particular buyers in each market, the more successful your site will be. That level of customization would be impossible to implement manually, but the right tools will help you create personalized experiences and navigate cultural, economic, and regulatory challenges.
Smart searchandising (search + merchandising) is one way online retailers are presenting search results for customers. Shoppers see results that are likely to appeal to them first based on their purchase history and other information.
Choosing the right tools for international growth
Since tools are the key to today’s online retail success, some planning is required to achieve the right tech stack for international ecommerce. To ensure your online store can handle increased transactions and international traffic, look for tools that work together and can scale as your business expands.
Advanced, AI-driven search and merchandising tools, in particular, help your store connect with buyers and vice versa. Examples of popular, effective ecommerce integrations include HubSpot CRM, Stripe for payments, Quickbooks for accounting, and Findify for search and merchandising. So, how do you find ecommerce website solutions that are smart and scalable enough to facilitate international market expansion? Features to look for include:
Intuitive interface: Tools should be easy for developers, designers, and managers to use as often as needed.
Fully customizable: It should be easy to make sure your storefront represents your brand and suits the way your customers want to shop.
AI-driven capabilities: AI can improve product discovery and enable natural language processing (NLP) for more human search results.
Will your tech stack support your store’s global expansion?
Here’s a checklist to help you choose the essential elements of a robust tech stack that’s ready to support the international expansion of your store on Neto, Norce, Shopify, or BigCommerce.
Some parts of your tech stack will play a larger role than others in international expansion. For example, search and merchandising solutions are crucial in helping ecommerce businesses engage with a specific market.
AI-powered search and merchandising tools are especially useful for driving expansion in new markets because they enhance the shopping experience, improve product discoverability, and tailor offerings to support local shopping preferences. Real-time personalized search, product recommendations, and smart collections in shoppers’ languages help build connections and stickier customer relationships. These are some ways you can engage with customers in a new market and create better shopping experiences:
Localized search capabilities: Ensure shoppers don’t see search results for products that aren’t available to them, which creates a negative experience. Shoppers can search for items in terms familiar to them and are more likely to see products that are locally popular.
Personalized merchandising: Using customer data, the tool’s AI continues to learn about local preferences and trends and makes individual recommendations.
Dynamic promotions: Smart tools optimize offers for different markets, considering local holidays, events, seasonality, etc.
Inventory management: With insights into which products are more likely to sell in different regions, manage local inventory more easily and effectively.
Data and insights: Gathering data about customer behavior by market allows you to optimize your store and marketing and sales campaigns.
Expanding your store to reach new customers, languages, cultures, and continents is an ambitious effort. It requires new goals, strategies, and tools. Fortunately, technology has never been better, with the ability to simplify and automate tasks. The challenge is choosing the right set of tools.
Better discovery with Findify search and merchandising
Findify’s robust search capabilities, merchandising, and machine learning (ML)-driven recommendations can work directly within ecommerce sites like Neto and Shopify. Findify provides:
Book a non-binding demo session for a detailed discussion at how exactly Findify can help you improve customer experience and drive sales on your e-store.
