The Internet has opened up the potential for all businesses to serve a global market. So, if you are noticing that you are making a lot of sales in a particular country, why not target that location a little better? If you play your cards right, you could make even more sales, and become a popular and successful business in that country. Here’s how to market your online business in a foreign country.
Why you need to make changes. First of all, it’s important to understand that people like buying from their own country. It’s nothing to do with xenophobia—in most case—and everything to do with money. People expect to be stung by charges when they buy things from a foreign site. And, it’s complicated. Do they need to pay tax, and how much does their currency give them on yours? Also, how much will the overseas shipping cost them? In some cases, it can double in price. Clearly, this is going to affect your profits, which is why it is so important to make some changes.
Domain names. So, your first step is to get a domain name for the country you are serving. If your company name is already taken, then just choose something similar—they don’t have to match exactly, although it will help. This will help your customers feel more relaxed about making purchases from your website.
Look at your payments options. Next, always change your payment options to local currency. If you want to avoid confusion, you should also include charges for taxes and currency conversion, too. Make it clear what those charges are for, and be honest and trustworthy about it. Even if it pushes up the price by a lot, your customers will at least know exactly what they are paying, and what they can expect.
Set up a distribution center. Another great idea is to set up a distribution center in the country. This will cut down the costs to the customer, and will result in more sales. It can take a while to go through the due diligence of finding an excellent firm to work with. But, it is worth your efforts. A good way to do this is to go out there yourself, on fact-finding missions. Just find some nice properties for rent for you and your team, and spend a while getting to know the local customs and businesses. You will get a much better all round vision of who you are working with, and who you are selling to.
Set up an office. Finally, it’s also a great idea to set up an office in the country you are selling to. It gives you physical presence, helps with your expansion, and also gives your customers assurances. If something goes wrong with their order, who will they think is more trustworthy? A business in another time zone, or one in their country with a phone number they can call at a national rate? It’s a simple choice.
Photo by Murray Campbell
Milo Senalle
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