One of the biggest perks of e-commerce is that it opens up a new world of customers. Not only can a store owner reach clients on the opposite side of the country, but they can also expand their reach to a global audience. More often than not, reaching the clients through marketing efforts isn’t the hurdle to world-famous business; it’s actually servicing these foreign clients.
No matter what type of business you run, growth is always at the centre of it, whether you realise it or not. This could be growing from one customer to five, expanding premises to handle more inventory, multiplying the number of employees, doubling the sales revenue, adding additional products or services to your offering. For some, this can also look like expanding their reach into international markets.
Whether you are already using online marketplaces or are new to the e-commerce space, here’s how a marketplace can be your gateway to international selling.
Why International Marketplaces Are Worth Exploring
When you use an international marketplace, businesses have immediate access to countless foot traffic waiting to be explored. Many of these websites also offer marketing packages that can help boost your visibility to specific audiences. Furthermore, these stores usually have the necessary infrastructure in place to support their international sellers. This can include anything from payment processing, logistics and even customer support.
The fact that a business can also test out the global opportunities without needing to invest chunks of cash into market research, setting up a local warehouse or office, and finding the right logistics partner means it is a low-risk, medium effort exercise to test these potential clients before committing more resources.
Marketplaces to Consider
Much like choosing insurance, choosing the right international marketplace needs to be investigated. If you use the wrong platform, you can struggle to meet your audience and prevent your packages from being delivered timeously.
More than just having the platform, your platform should be available to the country and audience you are aiming to sell to. But in order to ensure that this is the right platform for you, you need to thoroughly understand your audience.
Here are a few internationally available platforms to consider:
Etsy
Etsy is probably best known for hand-crafted items. Entrepreneurs can reach international clients by registering on the portal as a seller.
Amazon
Originally from the US, Amazon South Africa not only offers local businesses another way to reach clients without building their own online store, but it also allows South African Businesses to reach international clients.
Elements to Consider
It’s been noted that online marketplaces can be a powerful tool to alleviate pressure on smaller businesses, allowing them to grow without large investments that other corporations could easily afford. However, to streamline the process and work with the right marketplace, consider the following elements:
Language and Cultural Barrier
Language can be a tricky situation, especially when it comes to the nuances of various cultures or slang terms – something Google Translate or Duolingo can’t teach you! However, this can be overcome by finding out if the marketplace you are using has localised solutions for product listings. This includes translated descriptions of products. When it comes to customer support, this is particularly important because when people are angry or struggling with their order, the last thing they want is to try and communicate in a language that they are not comfortable with.
Tax and Regulatory Compliance
No matter the country, the taxman will always find you. Be it VAT, import tax or any other kind of tax that might be on a parcel, it is best to find a fulfilment partner who can ensure you comply with these regulations. What’s more, if particular items are prohibited in some countries or cannot be shipped to those countries, your marketplace should be able to supply you with guidance on what you can or cannot do.
Logistics and Shipping
Whether it is the freight part of international shipping or the last-mile delivery, whenever borders are crossed, there are technical requirements that must be met. Ideally, a logistics partner should know exactly what this entails and streamline this all while keeping costs low and deliveries on time.
