Practical Global Online Retailing
The IORMA Guide to the practicalities of selling products Online to Global Consumers
Introduction
Before considering a web site and all the exciting, challenging “gee-whiz” aspects of technology, basic headline fundamentals of selling goods to consumers globally should first be considered:
Products
Have you got products to sell which will appeal to consumers
Can the consumer obtain those goods just as easily locally at a store or through established major domestic or international online or multi-channel/Omni-Channel retailers who already have a known and trusted brand
Can these same goods be obtained by the consumer elsewhere at cheaper prices, with or without International Delivery charges and any duties
Do you actually make the products and have them in stock
Do you buy the products from a manufacturer or wholesaler
Does the manufacturer/brand/wholesaler control what goods can be sold in what country and at what price. Do existing country specific distribution agreements already exist in given countries/regions for the sale of a manufacturers branded goods
Are there any country/regional restrictions on the sale of certain types of goods (e.g. Electrical goods, Chocolate Liqueurs can contain alcohol … some countries do not permit the sale or import of any form of alcohol to consumers)
Marketing
Are you very clear about the messaging that needs to be conveyed to interest those consumers in buying your products … messaging which has to be conveyed to global consumers of widely varying backgrounds, ages, languages, cultures and interests
What methods of marketing are available to you, by all channels, online and off-line. Think not only of language, but phrasing, terminology and spelling too
Think about your product descriptions e.g. American’s don’t buy “Jumpers” they buy “Sweaters”, Americans don’t buy “Trousers”, they buy “Pants”, American’s don’t choose “Colours” they choose “Colors” … etc., etc. etc.
Payments
What payment methods can you offer, with whom and in what currencies
Cash on Delivery is commonplace in many countries
What fraud checking procedures do you have in place or can be offered by your payment provider
Consider the impact of “chargebacks” where the customer (or alleged customer) can obtain a refund of their whole payment (including any delivery charges) from the payment provider who in turn then will re-charge the whole payment to you even if the goods have not been returned to you
Logistics
Consider carefully the range of carriers which can provide real global delivery
The cheapest carrier may not always be the best (Parcel Tracking and Proof of Delivery can be very important)
Does the global carrier sub-contract to another carrier to complete delivery in a given country/region
Cash on Delivery can be the normal method of payment in a number of countries globally; can the carrier offer these services and when and how do you actually receive the funds
Does the carrier have any restrictions on the types of products or “packed” dimensions and “packed” weights of products that they will deliver to different countries
What documentation does the carrier require to go with any packets or parcels
What return address do you quote in case the parcel cannot be delivered to the customers designated address
What procedures does the carrier apply for any goods that they are unable to successfully deliver
Returns
Consider what arrangements and policies you wish to offer customers who may wish to return products
Decide what address you wish customers to use when sending any returns
Does the customer need to contact you for you to establish why they wish to return their goods
How should customers return goods and who pays the carriage for those returns (the customer or you)
Consider what procedures will apply for refunding the customer payment for any returns (the cost of the returned goods themselves which the customer has already paid for, and the carriage charges the customer may have to pay for, unless you pay the return charge or provide free return labels)
Damaged Goods/Faulty Goods/Goods not received
Question 1 … do you actually believe it if a customer tells you that the goods were received damaged, faulty or not received at all
Will you give a full refund, offer an allowance (e.g. 10% refund if partially damaged) or request the item to be returned.
Will you issue a replacement (and who pays for the replacement and its delivery)
Whose fault was it if the goods were damaged; the customers, the carrier, the manufacturers insufficient packaging, or your own insufficient packaging (e.g. for glassware)
Customer Service
What procedures have you in place for dealing with customer enquiries from around the world:
Regional time, holiday, week-end variances … almost requiring 24/7 service
e-mail, Telephone, text messaging etc. ?
Multi-lingual capability?
Data
Different countries have different regulations concerning protection of consumer data (e.g. customer names and postal addresses, e-mail addresses, etc.)
Legal
Have you taken legal advice regarding any practices, procedures and wording that you may require to trade globally
Insurance
Are you adequately insured for trading globally with consumers and for despatching goods (especially valuable goods) to different counties and regions
… and then there’s selling online, the web site, social media, search engine optimisation, online marketing etc., etc .
This initial report simply outlines some of the many practical areas to be considered with global online retailing. This report forms the first in a series of forthcoming IORMA Guides on the whole, very detailed and complex subject of selling remotely online to consumers around the world from the U.K.
IORMA has a team of specialists with vast, detailed and practical industry experience in the whole arena of global online retailing. IORMA would be pleased to assist any individual or company considering the provision of global online retailing.
For further information, please contact IORMA at:
+44 (0)207 096 1729
w: iorma.com
Disclaimer
The information contained in this document is for information purposes only, and may not apply to your situation. The author, publisher, distributor and provider provide no warranty about the content or accuracy of content enclosed. Information provided is subjective. Please keep this in mind when reviewing this guide.
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