subject: Starting an International E-commerce Business [print this page] Starting an International E-commerce Business
With online shopping expanding worldwide, an increasing number of businesses want to capitalize on this trend by developing an international e-commerce site to sell their products globally. As online shopping gains popularity around the globe, online stores in America are noticing a spike in visitors from overseas. The problem is most of these stores are not able to handle orders from abroad. Simply having the ability to send products abroad is not enough to satisfy all of your international customers. You must make sure their shopping experience is as simple as possible, this includes having the right translator software, having the ability to process payment in their currency, and using a reliable global delivery service.
There are a number of obstacles you should expect to encounter when creating an international e-commerce business. They include the following:
Communication barriers - Even though English is the most widely accepted language on the Internet, it does not have the ability to substitute a person's native language. To ensure that all web users can fully comprehend what it is you are selling and how to properly use it, you must have your site translated in several languages. You will need a very proficient translator software to get the job done.
Forms of payment - Customers residing in other parts of the world expect to pay for products with their own currency. You can't have an international e-commerce business without being able to accept multiple currencies from around the world.
Shipping issues - The success of your ecommerce business depends on the ability to deliver products on time at a decent price. Doing this for your global orders is even more difficult. You need to have a dependable global delivery service to complete this job for you.
Tariffs and duties - You are subject to the tariffs and duties set up by the different destination countries when you deliver products to your overseas customers. You must find out what they are and let your customers know so they are not suddenly hit with hidden fees.
Import/Export regulations - There is also the possibility that your products will be subject to import or export regulations. Find out if you are able to ship your products outside of the United States and if they will be accepted by the different destination countries.
A good way to handle most of the international e-commerce challenges is to use an ecommerce solution that is able to do the following:
Use a multi-language translator software to change basic words in the product name, category name, description, images and teaser sections
Show price conversion for the different currencies on the site
Is integrated with payment processors that handle international payments
Calculates real time shipping for reliable global delivery service companies such as UPS, USPS, DHL, FedEx, Canada Post and Australia Post
Supports all advanced tax calculation methods
Supports international date formatting
There are also several things you can do to provide better international e-commerce in addition to using the correct e-commerce solution. The first thing you need to do is inform all of your global web users that you are capable of accepting their order. To be able to do this you need to use a lot of visual indicators throughout your website such as flags to depict available languages and special links to show worldwide shipping policy. If you have to charge additional fees, be sure to inform your customers about it before they place the order. A smart way to increase conversions and decrease returns is to give very detailed instructions on how to return an overseas order. An even better way to acquire more international customers is to lower the cost of shipping your products abroad.
