Launching internationally as an e-commerce site requires a minimum of preparation. Discover the key points to consider!

To develop an online store internationally, it is necessary to go through several stages: carry out an exhaustive analysis of the targeted markets upstream, evaluate the technical changes and human resources that this implies, translate its pages effectively but also define a communication strategy adapted to the targeted countries. Here are several interesting recommendations that can guide you if you want to launch an e-commerce project abroad.

1. Analyze the market of the targeted countries

First essential step: carry out in-depth research on the country or countries you want to target. It will be important to:

• Take stock of the market (growing, mature or saturated?),

• Take into account external factors (PESTEL analysis),

• Identify consumer buying habits and needs

• Collect data on your competitors present in the targeted country.

2. Consider all technical needs

Some technical questions should also be asked before launching your e-commerce site internationally:

• Is my e-commerce platform suitable for international use? : it is important that your platform can manage several languages, currencies or taxes, and that it has suitable tools to optimize your SEO internationally.

• What delivery methods will I adopt? : it is also essential to think about delivery methods and policies to ensure the feasibility of the project.

• How do I manage the architecture of my e-commerce site? : it may be interesting to have one site per language in order to be better referenced on search engines (only the extension changes: .fr, .es, .co, .uk for example).

• How to adapt the interface of my site to the culture of the country? : you will certainly have needs in the field of UX and design if you go international because browsing habits can differ from one country to another.

3. Choose an effective solution to translate your website

Another central point: the translation of your web pages. If the translation of your product pages is of poor quality, you risk losing customers. These two solutions are good for translating your e-commerce site: installing a specialized plugin on your CMS such as Weglot for example or calling on a freelance translator capable of translating your content into the desired languages.

4. Set up international customer service

Customer service is a point not to be overlooked in e-commerce. You will need to be able to respond to your customers' requests in the languages ​​of the countries where you are established. It will be necessary to put in place the necessary resources to provide answers to customers (chat, email, telephone) and to deal with potential problems quickly. Remember to display your contact points visibly on your site, this is one of the elements that reassure visitors.

5. Establish a real communication strategy

Finally, it is recommended to plan a solid communication plan to gain visibility. For each country, it may be interesting to:

• Produce press releases to announce its launch,

• Set up an international content strategy (blog article, videos, social networks, etc.),

• Create emailing campaigns,

• Launch paid campaigns to be visible in search engines,

• Be present on local reference price comparators or marketplaces.

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