Digital Export | 8 step for internationalization

Storeis

To implement an effective internationalization strategy and expand into new geographies, it is necessary to take into consideration various aspects with an integrated approach; specifically, it is essential to focus on the following areas:

1. UX & Localization

• Language
• User Experience

2. Operational Readiness 

• Payments
• Customer Service
• Delivery

3. Omnichannel 

• Online/Offline interaction

4. Marketing & Distribution Strategy

• Digital Distribution
• Marketing

Let’s see in detail how to orchestrate these 8 elements to create an effective internalization strategy and enhance digital export:

1. UX & Localization

• LANGUAGE

Among the first elements to consider there is certainly the organization by language and by market of the site’s contents. The localized language is certainly a must-have, which is why it is essential to rely on a team of experts in ecommerce, who can adapt the texts according to the market and not simply translate them.

• UX

It is very important to foresee a user testing phase with local customers to verify that the purchasing process is fluid and without obstacles in different locations. This should be kept in mind especially for markets that are culturally distant from ours, which often require an ad hoc design of the user experience; for example in China it will be essential to always have direct contact and a live chat available.

2. Operational Readiness

• PAYMENTS

Payment methods must be specific for each market, for example in Russia it will be essential to activate payment upon delivery, while in Japan it is mandatory to include Kobini and Pay Easy. Mobile Payments, on the other hand, are enjoying great success in China, where they are widely used for online purchases: AliPay, UnionPay and WeChat Pay are the most popular apps.

• CUSTOMER SERVICE

In each market it is good to evaluate the expected level of customer service, for example in Russia you will need customer service 7/7, 24/7; similarly, in China it will be essential to activate a live chat because users do not trust the information they find on the website and prefer to have direct contact.

• DELIVERY

Shipments must be fast and free of criticalities, but according to the destination and the type of shipment, delivery times and methods must be evaluated and differentiated; for example, in Russia shipping to Moscow or St. Petersburg can be much faster and more profitable than in other areas of the country.

At the same time, it is important to evaluate free shipping to understand if it is essential to activate it by default or only under certain conditions.

3. Omnichannel

• ONLINE/OFFLINE INTERACTION

A key theme in internationalization is the omnichannel model to be adopted. Aspects such as the adoption of Click & Collect, or the possibility of picking up the goods in the store the same day, have a significant impact for digital export and for the bottom line. And not only that: it is important to be aware that in different markets there are consolidated customs for delivery, for example in some markets there are pickup points with dressing rooms, where you can try the goods and make the return at the same time, or you can book a courier, who arrives home and waits for the customer to try on the garments and return the ones he doesn’t like before paying.

4. Marketing & Distribution Strategy

• DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

It is good to evaluate based on your objectives which distribution channels to use since each online sales channel is an opportunity, but still requires energy and resources.

Marketplaces (such as Amazon, Alibaba, Zalando, Farfetch, and many others) could be a good ram to open a new market that is not yet known, but in addition to international partners, it is also necessary to consider those specific to the markets in which you intend to operate; in Russia, for example, it will be necessary to evaluate Wildberries, Beru or Ozon, in Australia instead Iconic or MyDeal, and so on.

• MARKETING

Finally, internationalization cannot be carried out without having defined a realistic and country-based marketing and sales forecasting plan; taking into account the different KPIs for each market helps us to build specific budgets to achieve plausible turnover targets.

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