At our dinner with Paperless Post’s GM UK & Senior Director of International Expansion, Caroline Harding-Gelbard, provided her fellow diners with her recommendations on globally expanding a business:
- Be prepared to ask the right questions
- Try to find a way to let your customers lead the way – don’t just commit to an area just because it’s big, go where the demand is!
- Translation is expensive – most consumers can navigate an eCommerce site. Do you really need to translate the website?
- Find a way to drive some sales before you explore a market – start shipping there in their currency and see if there’s any response
- Start the localisation process by trying to find an agent or country manager who speaks the same language as you
- Seek good legal advice when organising your operational elements including legal, finance, hiring, website, shipping, returns etc
- Look at ASOS – it’s a good example of international expansion
- Maintain simplicity with flexibility to increase your chances of success
Recommended Reading: The Inside Story on How SurveyMonkey Cracked the International Market
To hear first-hand the great advice that speakers at TableCrowd offer their fellow diners, come join us for dinner.
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