3 Keys to Exporting: Fulfillment, Language, Payment

Like domestic customers, international clients appreciate free shipping supplies and timely delivery. And although English is a universal second language in many of nations, localized content helps lower obstacles to earnings, as does the approval of local payment methods.

Global businesses understand that a localized approach to globalization helps fuel international sales. Smaller businesses acknowledge the benefit but are reluctant to take the necessary steps because they fear that the additional overhead. However, as we’ll see in this manual, you don’t necessarily have to do everything at once and a couple of things may be more cost-effective than you think.

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Tackling International Shipping

If you’re sending through the occasional package internationally you have probably come to the conclusion there has to be far more efficient means of sending packages one-by-one through popular delivery solutions. Regardless of the fact that you may be fulfilling international orders in a timely manner, the bundles could be held up in customs or may disappear, either of which might lead to bad seller ratings, charge-backs and the need to reship merchandise.

The breaking point for Andrew Simmons, founder of art and craft program provider ThoughtFish Media, was dramatic product losses.

“When I sent to Canada, the package had a 50/50 chance of coming,” he said. “Some customers would claim they did not receive the thing so we would get hit with charge-backs. Sometimes I had to send goods [a] next time. I came to the conclusion there was a better way.”

Simmons chose to use Shipwire, which provides warehousing and fulfillment services. In Simmons’ case, he delivered stock to Shipwire’s distribution centers from the U.S., and fulfilled individual orders in these locales from such warehouses. Almost overnight the number of charge-backs diminished and packages started arriving at their destinations in a timely manner. Moreover, clients no longer needed to pay a value-added tax (VAT) or obligation on goods because the majority of that was cared for in bulk forward by ThoughtFish Media. The end result was happier customers, fewer bad reviews, fewer charge-backs, and fewer re-ships.

“I loathed sending anything to Canada,” said Simmons. “We got flack because packages were not getting to customers and so we would get poor reviews. A bad review written five or six years ago still affects us.”

Shipwire has distribution centers in Canada, the U.K., and Australia that help merchants to cost-effectively provide free shipping and easy returns within those nations. The U.K. and Australia places also help expedite shipping to Europe and Asia. ThoughtFish Media maintains product inventory in the majority of Shipwire places and now has 26,000 customers in 77 nations. In Simmon’s case, Shipwire’s automation skills allowed him to reduce headcount and focus on higher value tasks.

Speaking the Local Language

Fairly frequently, U.S. online merchants give too much weight to the pervasiveness of the English language abroad. Some also assume that English-speaking nations like the U.K. and Australia are happy to do business the American Way, which is why American firms have a reputation for being arrogant.

In the short term, an American Language website works well domestically and less well in other countries. If you are seriously interested in growing your organization in a particular area, however, seriously consider communication in the local language. In the long run, even The King’s English and American English have their own differences.

Translating a site doesn’t have to be costly. Actually, you can do it free with Google Translator [www.translate.google.com], TranslatorBar [translatorbar.com] or WorldLingo [www.worldlingo.com]. Obviously, no cost services aren’t perfect but they’re”good enough” by some as a method of breaking down language barriers.

Another more expensive solution is human interpretation, which may vary in price. Alternatives include Professional Translations, Avantpage, and Lingo24. The upside of human translation is accuracy and accountability. Properly interpreted phrases, grammar, and even slang will help position your company as a substantial international player and can assist in search-engine-optimization efforts in international markets, too.

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Payment the Client’s Way

1 way to discover a customer to abandon a shopping cart is to require payment in a form that is out of sync with the payment methods used in the region.

“Abandonment prices are an issue if you don’t accept local currencies and payment methods,” said Rich Brower, business development manager at GlobalCollect, an international payment service that supports 170 currencies and payment methods in 200 nations. “Don’t presume credit cards are a valid form of payment.”

In Germany, less than 20 percent of the people is using credit cards and those that have them tend not to use them, said Brower. In other nations, only some people have credit cards or bank accounts which leads to”village buyers” who make purchases on behalf of others. Fraud detection issues often arise because one person may be making 15 legitimate purchases a day that appear to be fraudulent. You will find money solutions for customers who lack bank accounts but they are not popular because they are an expensive.

Like all things, client demand, opportunity costs, and out-of-pocket costs drive the choice of when to promote several types of payment.

Bottom Line

If you are intent on exporting, you may wish to make it as easy as possible for customers to buy from you regardless of where the customer is located. To increase the quantity of happy clients while reducing complaints, charge-backs, and poor reviews, consider localized gratification. Then, as your business dictates, add localized information and other kinds of payment that reflect your customers’ preferences.