Expand your Shopify business from local to global markets

Elevate your Shopify business globally and tap into new markets to expand your customer reach. Also, by expertly localizing your online store, you can resonate culturally and fuel conversions and sales. Shopify, the leading eCommerce platform, provides unparalleled opportunities to enhance your business presence worldwide. So, leverage its potential and take your online store to new heights of success.

Expanding Your Business with Shopify: International Sales and Localization

The pneumatic rise of eCommerce has transcended how online store owners thrive globally. Nearly 22% of online sales are now made internationally, opening up incredible avenues for business expansion worldwide. 

Adding new regions to your directory means generating more revenue and reaching a global customer base. Do you know the game-changer that propels eCommerce businesses into the global arena? It’s Shopify.

Powering over a million businesses in 175+ countries, Shopify opens success doors for businesses. As per recent statistics, in June 2023, Shopify was the biggest name in the US eCommerce market as it gained a market share of 28%- the highest compared to other eCommerce software platforms.

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Furthermore, Shopify allows for cross-border selling. Read on to discover how it would not be wrong to say that a Shopify store doesn’t take long to reach from local to global.

Benefits of expanding your Shopify business into an international market

Entering into global markets comes with the opportunity to tap into a wider customer base. Shopify not only helps propel your sales but also introduces your brand to a diverse array of customers with varying needs.

Fosters internal business growth

Businesses that take a leap to cross-border regions embrace learning and growth. It exposes the products and services to a much larger audience leading to increased sales, higher brand visibility, and potential for a strong customer base. Also, it diversifies the revenue sources, reducing the risk associated with dependence on a single market’s performance.

Reduce the risk of financial instability

Setting foot in the global marketplace is less risky than sticking to the local market. Expanding into international markets lets a business owner create additional earnings helpful in dealing with the negative impacts of localized economic fluctuations.

Overcome low-season demand

On entering into different climates and regions, a Shopify business can sustain sales throughout the year. The sale of online stores limited to their local areas is at its peak during particular seasons, but what about other days? Obviously, there will be a reduction in the number of customers. So, to eliminate such discrepancies, expand your business via Shopify. For this, you will need to hire Shopify programmers to build a robust and user-friendly eCommerce store and spread your business wings into an international market.

Competitive advantage

This aspect can be best understood with a scenario-based example. For instance, by entering a foreign market, that your competitors have not reached yet, you can establish a strong brand awareness. It will provide you access to growth opportunities and industry ecosystems.

Boost innovation

Operating in different markets unfolds new practices, ideas, and technologies. For businesses that want to thrive in today’s dynamic marketplace, global thinking is crucial. So, drive your business to new horizons with its international expansion using Shopify.

How to sell internationally using Shopify?

With several popular international brands like Decathlon, RedBull, Beardbrand, and Wild Deodorant using Shopify, you can easily understand the power of investing in getting an eCommerce store created on this platform. To get this done, you can either hire in-house experts or reach out to Shopify development service providers.

As per recent research, 35% of all Shopify traffic comes from international visitors. So, you need to be strategic about your global eCommerce venture. 

Continue reading to discover the top tips and tactics to sell internationally.

1. Identify international target markets

The foremost thing to do is identify the geographical locations that best suit your business targets. Customers worldwide have their unique patterns for buying and browsing a product. 

So, take your time to conduct thorough research on the market you plan to enter. Look at the population demographics, target customers, local sales data, and market potential for more insights. 

2. Make checkout easier for your international audience

Another major thing to look at is facilitating your global customers to pay in their preferred method. It will make the purchasing process easier and may increase the likelihood of doing so. 

To collect international payments, you will be required to start using an international payment gateway. Hire an expert Shopify developer to leverage the benefits of integrating the best international payment gateway providers like PayPal, Stripe, Braintree, AmazonPay, and others.

Shopify Payments (Shopify’s payment gateway) are available only to stores in certain countries. It is worthwhile to know the requirements and related information for cross-border regions that Shopify payments support.

3. Set up international shipping

Logistics and shipping are challenging aspects when selling internationally. Collaborate with a trustworthy logistics provider to ensure that your customers get their products on time and in good condition. Here are some best practices to ensure a compelling customer experience by maintaining seamless logistics and operations in the relevant country.

• Consider carriers having a solid presence in your target regions.
• Set up different shipping rates according to area and delivery speed.
• Clearly communicate to customers about the customs duties and tax upon delivery.
• Make transparent shipping policies addressing delivery times, tracking, and returns.
• Offer multilingual customer support to address inquiries about shipping and tracking.

4. Localize your brand

To build trust and credibility with your target market, you should make your online store features adaptable to the global audience’s culture. The best approach to enable this would be hiring expert Shopify developers who have vast expertise in eCommerce site development.

Consider the following aspects to make your brand acceptable to customers in cross-border regions.

• Localize your site
• Use international domains to target specific markets
• Translate your store into their native language
• Adjust pricing
• Offer proper customer service

5. Focus on mobile

You can reach more customers, improve their experience, and increase sales by focusing on the use of mobile apps or responsive websites. Also, Google and other search engines prioritize mobile-optimized websites, helpful in improving site rankings in SERPs (search engine result pages).

Along with improving UX, this makes it easier for customers to browse and purchase products from your online store. It leads to an increase in conversion rates and customer loyalty.

6. Promote your brand globally

Now, you have your international store setup, which is ready to see the world. To speed up its growth process, implementing a marketing campaign to help bring international traffic will be beneficial. Make region-specific campaigns and advertise accordingly to target markets.

Another important thing to note is it requires patience and a deep understanding of unique market characteristics. Merging a solid marketing strategy with cultural awareness will help you effectively promote your Shopify business in global markets.

Despite the successful establishment of a Shopify business in international markets, it will still require a lot of work to create a reputation. To establish a business that goes beyond countries and regions, the focus should be on establishing a cross-border localization strategy. 

Let’s now look at the possibilities of making your brand adaptable to international sales.

The power of localizing your Shopify store with international sales

Cultural relevance

Two hands shaking in front of a globe, symbolizing a cultural exchange.

Language precision

Presenting content in the customer’s native language will form a bridge between the two countries.

Credibility and professionalism

Imagine a brand logo with flags from different countries waving behind it. It will portray your credibility in different regions.

Conversion boost

Providing clear product information and guiding customers throughout the purchase journey will increase conversion rates.

Competitive edge

Localizing your brand will make it stand out among competitors who have not localized their business yet.

Popularity and reputation

Customers worldwide holding shopping bags of your brand will provide it status and recognition.

Localize an eCommerce site: Best practices to follow

Imagine yourself as a customer visiting a different state where the language and culture differ from your native region. It could be problematic to explain your product requirements to marketers in such a case. Rather you would prefer going to a shop where you could speak your native lingo. 

Similarly, customers all over the world enjoy viewing the content in their preferred language, leading to more customer engagement. This is how localization works. It involves resonating with the nuances, preferences, and cultural backgrounds of each market you are entering into. 

Here are some best practices that one should follow to localize an eCommerce site.

Conduct market research for expansion

It sounds redundant but there will always be a need to conduct extensive research for localizing according to your target market. Gathering insights from website analytics and customer feedback will help provide the best user experience.

Auto-display localized site to a global audience

Presenting a localized version of your Shopify store will build trust among users. Ensure the content appropriately resonates with your target audience. You can guide your users to the correct experience according to their IP address, location, and browser preferences.

Transparent shipping and taxes

Do you personally prefer to pay the extra cost that you are unaware of while purchasing the item? The answer is ‘No.’ In such scenarios, there is a high chance that the customers will not visit the store in the future. So, accurately showcase the associated costs (like shipping charges, import & export taxes, duty, etc.) to prevent your international shoppers from paying unexpected bills.

Localize inventory

On-time and proper product delivery is one of the biggest components and challenges in establishing international online stores. Giants like Amazon, have set the best example of providing top shipment among different countries.

So, try regionalizing inventory to facilitate speedy delivery without any extra cost to the customer’s address in less time.

Test the process

After setting up everything, now take charge as a customer and test your process from their perspective. You can look for any incorrect translations or broken links that can negatively impact your brand image. To fix such issues that weaken your customer experience, hire a professional Shopify developer so that your customers never have to deal with any unexpected errors.

Final thoughts

Now, that you are aware of the rewards and strategies, it is time to pull them into action. This will require hiring a dedicated resource to bring expertise into the international expansion of your Shopify store. You can initiate the process by –

• Creating localized domains or landing pages, and
• Hiring Shopify developers or partnering with agencies to seek assistance

Apart from these, to promote the brand and reach customers a business owner must –

• Be consistent with site branding,
• Conduct proper keyword research, and
• Consider cultural differences.

Best of luck for your store’s success!

About the Guest Author

Amelia Swank is a senior web and app developer with over 8 years of experience. Currently with SunTec India, she specializes in the domain of digital solutions, specifically WordPress development, Shopify development, Magento development. Her passion for technology fuels her writing, aimed at spreading insights to all. Amelia closely follows the latest IT advances to share her expertise with those interested in the field.