With online shopping expanding worldwide, more and more businesses are looking to capitalize on this trend by starting an international e-commerce website to sell their products globally. As online shopping becomes more popular around the world, online stores in America are seeing an increase in web users from abroad. The problem is most of these online 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 have to make their shopping experience as easy as possible, this includes having the right translator software, being able to process payment in their currency, and using a reliable global delivery service.
There are a number of challenges you should expect to face when creating an international e-commerce business. They include the following:
- Communication barriers - Even though English is the most used language on the Internet, it does not have the ability to take the place of a person's native language. To make sure that all visitors can fully understand what it is you are trying to sell and how to use it properly, 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 from other countries expect to buy products with their own currency. You cannot have an international e-commerce business without the ability to accept different currencies from around the world.
- Shipping issues - How successful an ecommerce business is depends on the ability to deliver products on time at a reasonable price. Doing this for your international orders is even more complicated. You need to have a reliable global delivery service to carry out this job for you.
- Tariffs and duties - You are subject to the tariffs and duties set up by each destination country when you deliver products to your overseas customers. You must find out what they are and let your customers know so they are not sudenly 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 whether or not 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 e-commerce solution that is able to do the following:
- Offer multiple language translator software to translate basic words in the product name, category name, description, images and teaser sections
- Display price conversion for the different currencies on the web site
- Is integrated with payment processors that handle international payment
- Calculates shipping in real time for reliable global delivery service companies such as UPS, USPS, DHL, FedEx, Canada Post and Australia Post
- Supports all advanced tax calculation techniques
- Supports international date formatting
There are also a number of things you can do to provide better international e-commerce in addition to using the correct ecommerce solution. The first thing you must do is inform all of your international web users that you are capable of accepting their order. To be able to do this you need to use plenty of visual indicators throughout your website such as flags to indicate available languages and specific links to display global shipping policy. If there are additional fees, be sure to inform your customers about it before they place the order. A good 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 get more international customers to make a purchase is to lower the cost of shipping your products abroad.
Combining the correct e-commerce solution with a couple of on-site techniques is the winning formula for creating a successful international e-commerce business. Expose your products to more online visitors by using a multi-language translator software. Get them to buy from you by making the order process as easy to understand as possible. With the right payment processor and global delivery service, the order can be completed effortlessly.
What you need is a full service all-in-one hosting, design, and marketing software made specifically for e-commerce businesses. One that lets you set up your store in minutes, and provides powerful tools to help with not only international electronic commerce, but also SEO, product marketing and mobile commerce. Check out the best possible e-commerce solutions available at http://www.makeanonlinestore.com and try them out yourself absolutely free, no credit card required!
