What do domestic e-commerce merchants need in place to execute a successful international expansion strategy in today’s global environment? Here are some of the basics. As an online retailer, you already know that your customers are living through a significant global event that will undoubtedly change everything about their shopping behaviors. And certainly the crisis has changed your business, too, in [...]
To succeed at international e-commerce, online merchants need to position themselves as global brands with a localized presence. That means demonstrating that you’re in tune with each country’s relevant taxes and duties on the products you sell. Accomplishing this requires your website to calculate accurate duties and taxes for purchases in each market. This also means adjusting how these fees are [...]
Understanding the nuances of international consumers’ shipping demands can make or break market entry for cross border e-commerce merchants. To build brand loyalty and increase conversions, brands and retailers must recognize that in many of the top ten global markets, e-commerce shoppers have extremely high expectations for fast and affordable shipping. How important is fast, affordable shipping? According to our own [...]
There’s an old warning that “Speed kills,” but in the international e-commerce industry, moving slowly is far more dangerous. Flow’s Global Research Report found that 50% of international e-commerce shoppers say the top barrier to making a cross border purchase is that “delivery time is too slow.” This is an even greater concern for consumers than the cost of taxes and [...]
Let’s face the facts: international shipping is hard. Too many international retailers still don't know how to ship across borders, and don't even know where to begin with an international shipping strategy. There are several reasons for this. Managing last-mile carriers across various countries is difficult. There are carrier fees, country-specific taxes and duties and product restrictions to consider in each [...]
Consumers have been purchasing clothing, books, and electronics online for years, but until very recently it was highly unusual to buy a mattress or furniture online, in part because of high shipping costs and unease around buying high-ticket items through a website. While only 11% of US internet users currently prefer to buy furniture online and the category accounted for only [...]
Flow was thrilled to participate in this year’s IC Summit West Coast eCommerce event in Los Angeles. A uniquely diverse, powerful and sophisticated event for attendees and partners, IC Summit West served as a catalyst for discussions among retailers. I had the pleasure of moderating a panel discussion about supply chain and logistics featuring executives from three exciting brands in the [...]
Retailers are often caught unaware about certain shipping charges, especially when selling cross-border. There are various situations where shipping carriers add fees and surcharges on international deliveries which can result in additional shipping charges that online retailers might not have expected. This can create a significant amount of friction for retailers and numerous challenges in developing a successful international shipping strategy. [...]
For brands and retailers whose primary language is English, Australia offers a way to bypass some of the cultural adaptation and language barriers faced when becoming an international business. But before jumping into this fast-growing market, there are some important considerations and risks for cross border e-commerce retailers. That’s why Flow’s cross border e-commerce experts created our free new ebook, "APAC’s Major [...]
From Self-Care to Smart Backpacks: This is the fourth post in a five-part series where we’ll highlight product categories with global demand and the regulations and challenges to keep top of mind. For the first time in human history, half the world’s population is middle-class or wealthier, with both the time and money to indulge in hobbies, sports and other leisure activities. [...]
