Global sales have been continuing to grow over the past decade, and e-commerce international sales are no exception. In fact, according to the 2013 Global E-Commerce Report, international e-commerce sales worldwide totaled $1.58 trillion and grew 16 percent in just one year. In today's global marketplace, opening your business to international sales can be a great opportunity to build your customer base.
Exchange Rate
How to deal with the exchange rate in ecommerce is a very important question which merchant should consider before starting their online business. Exchange rates are one of the most important factors that affect international trade and purchasing power of people living in different countries.
If you run an ecommerce shop that trades in a currency other than your own - say, charge in Australian dollar (AUD) to customers in Japan, there are two potential problems. The first is calculating the current exchange rate between Australian Dollars and Yen, and the second is how to display this in an understandable way to customers.
There are several different strategies that online ecommerce merchants can take to combat this issue. These include: 1. Choosing a single currency for your business and allowing the user to either purchase in that currency or through conversion 2. Using a multiple currency approach which allows the user to select which currency they prefer 3. Using dynamic exchange rates which change based on current rates users have the ability to choose which they prefer.
Shipping and Logistics
When you sell internationally - how do you find a reliable way to get the items your customers want to their doorstep? The free Shipping Rates application does the math for you, combining over 450 parcel carriers with more than 40 postal zones. You can also use this application to find out what each carrier charges in shipping and handling fees. This way you can select a carrier providing the lowest cost for your items. Once you've found the one that fits your situation - pick a shipping method, print an international label.
Multilingual Store
A multilingual ecommerce store lets you sell to customers around the world, while teaching them English with each purchase. That's because our advanced features include multiple translation systems and an automates the whole process. If you've already started an online business, you know that one of the biggest obstacles to selling around the world is language. One of the most difficult things for a non-English speaker to learn is a foreign language. With our multilingual store, your store comes with an automated
Customer Service
Today’s economic situation is a challenge to everyone’s business. Customer service is not just about the delivery of goods, it’s actually an highly measurable profit generator for your company. In this guide you will learn how to find employees who use customer service as a competitive advantage for your ecommerce business, as well as how to deliver experiences that keep happy customers coming back and referring others.
SEO for International Markets
International SEO Ecommerce is a search engine optimization solution that helps e-commerce websites rank higher in their local market. eCommerce SEO applies best practices for optimizing your site from both a content and technical standpoint. Content optimization involves rich, keyword-optimized copy that helps customers find you while they search Google, Yahoo or Bing. Technical optimization helps streamline the process of adding products and other content to your site from a code standpoint. It also improves your site's load time, which is something search engines are currently placing importance on, as determined through their most recent updates and statements.
Privacy Laws
Ecommerce privacy law is the catch-all for a litany of legislation and case law that deals with privacy issues on the internet. It is only getting more complicated as states scramble to balance consumer rights with industry demands. Before offering products or services online to a international market, it’s vital that you have a thorough understanding of not only your obligations under local privacy laws, but also in relation to the applicable privacy laws in other countries where some or all of your customers reside.
Pricing
Price is an integral part of the customer buying process and can make or break the transaction. When it comes to an international customer base, you have to consider whether you want to offer different pricing for different markets.