YOU COULD BE JUST A CLICK AWAY FROM 2 BILLION ONLINE CUSTOMERS

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1 YOU COULD BE JUST A CLICK AWAY FROM 2 BILLION ONLINE CUSTOMERS

2 EXPORTING IS GREAT 2 You could be just a click away from 2 billion online customers If you re one of the many small or medium sized East of England businesses selling to customers online, it s likely most of your customers come from the UK. This means you could well be missing out on a share of the billions spent online each year from 2 billion worldwide internet users. In Western Europe alone there are 95 million people shopping online each year spending an average 1,864 per person and while it may appear to be a world wide web, unless you are set up for overseas buyers they are probably not finding you. In fact 70% of online searches aren t made in English. The good news is that it only takes a few simple adjustments to your site to make it appropriate for these many untapped customers. Through its digital experts, the Department for International Trade (DIT) is able to take you through the various steps towards achieving worldwide sales for your product or service. DIT works closely with East of England businesses to lift the quality of their online presence and attract new customers outside the UK. One of the first questions you may have is whether there would be any interest in your product or service outside the UK. Says DIT East of England digital expert Derek Scanlon: One of the challenges to exporters is identifying the cultural differences between the UK and export markets. Understanding what products and services might be in demand in a new market is critical and mistakes can end your ambitions for a new export market before you even begin. The first step is to put away your assumptions and preconceptions. Here s a test - would anyone buy a plastic bag of fresh air? In Xi an Mall in China customers snapped up large bags of clean air for around 12p. If one of your daily preoccupations is air quality and respiratory health you might consider that a small price to pay. Xi an may be just one city, but it s a city with the population of Denmark. One of the challenges to exporters is identifying the cultural differences between the UK and export markets. Once you ve decided to go ahead the process is based on three steps. The first is diagnosis. This involves a range of investigations into the technical and content aspects of your digital channels, including web and mobile. It can also include support with analytics, search optimisation, conversion rate optimisation (which helps make it as easy as possible for people to use your website) and market research. DIT then looks at online and offline data to identify two to three likely export markets, followed by choosing a route to market - either translating and localising some, or all, of your existing website or listing your products on a relevant e-marketplace. You ll obviously be familiar with Amazon and ebay, but these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to e-marketplaces. In fact DIT has exclusive deals with more than 40 across the globe. These include Mercado Libre, which covers much of South America, Flippak, India s largest online marketplace and China s VIP, which has 19.7m daily unique users. And it s not just distant countries or those who don t speak English. In France Cdiscount, for example, has 16m members, with individual sellers shipping out to them. In New Zealand TradeMe attracts 70% of all local internet traffic. E-Marketplaces are also a great way to test your product in a chosen market to determine if the demand is out there. It s also worth taking the time to research which platforms are most prominent in your sector or your preferred export market. While many businesses operate overseas via e-marketplaces others localise their existing website. Essex based luxury home products company Amara, for example, is set up to operate in 150 different countries, each with a website tailored to the particular country s needs. This ability to act locally when operating globally has put it in the UK s top 100 small and medium sized companies for international sales growth. The final step to online success

3 EXPORTING IS GREAT 3 is marketing, which can include Google Adwords and Pay Per Click Advertising, Facebook Ads, etc. DIT has also built a regional roster of vetted digital agencies to provide ongoing support for all things digital. Through its E-Exporting Programme DIT aims to help 20,000 businesses start selling online overseas by 2020, adding 2 billion worth of value to the UK economy.. If you want to join them and have customers ready to clicking the buy, acheter or comprar button for your products visit the Selling Online Overseas section of the Exporting is GREAT website or talk to your local International Trade Advisor. Suffolk bathroom supplier makes a splash in Europe One company that went from selling traditional bathroom products in the Suffolk area to having customers across Europe via e-commerce is Old Fashioned Bathrooms, based in Mickfield near Stowmarket. The company, which specialises in premium quality traditional bathroom fittings designed for period homes or those wanting a retro feel has attracted the attention of customers across Europe unable to find anything but modern designs in their own countries. It sells from its showroom and also online, which is where overseas buyers have found them. Says the company s Sales Manager Paul Edwards: We had a handful of enquiries from potential customers mainly in Western Europe who said how difficult it was to source traditional bathroom products in their countries and that they could only get modern bathroom products locally. We had a handful of enquiries from potential customers mainly in Western Europe Following this attention the company decided to target these customers directly. This meant making the website more user friendly for customers in Europe, which has included adding the Google translate function to the website and also moving the website to a cloud based server.

4 EXPORTING IS GREAT 4 The Normandy Copper Bath The Old Fashioned Bathroom Company This really speeds up website response and usability wherever in the world someone is, says Paul. The company worked with Derek Scanlon, an International Digital Trade Advisor with the Department for International Trade in the East of England. I had a meeting with Derek and he made recommendations as to how we can make the website more user friendly to customers in Europe, adds Paul. Following these changes the company is now increasing its orders, particularly from Western Europe with sales coming from France, Germany, mainland Spain, Ibiza, Switzerland, Jersey, and Belgium. Many are attracted by the traditional British appeal of the products. Adds Paul: Although a lot of our products are not manufactured in Britain these days, there is still a very British style to a lot of products such as the cast iron roll top baths which have great appeal overseas. I had a meeting with Derek and he made recommendations as to how we can make the website more user friendly to customers in Europe Not stopping there the company is now planning to use Google Adwords targeted at particular countries. Derek did a pretty comprehensive report on our website which has been really helpful and we have a new SEO (search engine optimisation) company who we are really pleased with. We plan to have an overhaul of the website over the next six months and then we will be launching lots of exciting new products.

5 Start selling online... EXPORTING IS GREAT 5 Reach customers online Opportunities for international online sales are huge, and still growing strongly. With a great digital presence you can access new markets and gain new customers 24 hours a day, often at low cost. You can monitor sales in realtime and use data to make business decisions, and keep your customers coming back with targeted, engaging content. Reach overseas customers online by using one or more of these methods: Online marketplaces A website which is optimised for international trade Social media Use an online marketplace Online marketplaces are websites where buyers and sellers can do business electronically, and transactions are processed by the marketplace operator. Online marketplaces provide a huge sales opportunity for retailers and brands. Operating through sites such as Newegg in the USA, CDiscount in France or Rakuten in Japan can help retailers and brands to increase their reach in overseas markets. However, selling through online marketplaces needs careful planning. Your current sales volume, capacity for growth and sector should influence decisions on which online marketplaces might be suitable for you. Once your business is export ready and you ve weighed your risk exposure for costs, timescales, compliance and marketplace requirements, you can use Selling online overseas to find the best place to sell your products online. This also lets you take advantage of special deals negotiated by the government for UK businesses. You can get free expert advice and support from the Department for International Trade s E-Exporting Programme, which helps UK retailers and brands accelerate their global growth through e-commerce. Internationalise your website A properly internationalised website can be a shop window to the world for your product or service. Your translated site will rank higher on search engines and customers will find it easier to use and buy from. It s recommended that you get a relevant domain name in the target language and register this with the appropriate country suffix if you can (for example, in Germany your website should end with.de ). Be aware that website registration rules and costs may differ significantly between countries. Reflect your market Make sure the images, colours and branding you use are culturally appropriate. Images of alcohol, certain foods and animals can t be used in some markets. This information and more can be found on the Exporting is Great website. Contact Visit for real-time global export opportunities and access to expert advice, trade services, training and events. If you would like a free consultation with one our experienced Trade Advisors you can contact the team now. Contact the East of England regional team Tel: eastinfo@mobile.trade.gov.uk

6 great.gov.uk Department for International Trade The UK s Department for International Trade (DIT) has overall responsibility for promoting UK trade across the world and attracting foreign investment to our economy. We are a specialised government body with responsibility for negotiating international trade policy, supporting business, as well as delivering an outwardlooking trade diplomacy strategy. Disclaimer Whereas every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this document is accurate the Department for International Trade does not accept liability for any errors, omissions or misleading statements, and no warranty is given or responsibility accepted as to the standing of any individual, firm, company or other organisation mentioned. Sources Focus on: Retail and e-commerce, Connecting Yorkshire and the Humber Retail Businesses to the World. Published by Department for International Trade Yorkshire and the Humber, 2016 Images Crown Copyright 2016 You may re-use this publication (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence visit: or psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. Where we have identified any third party copyright information in the material that you wish to use, you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holder(s) concerned. This document is also available on our website at gov.uk/dit Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at eastinfo@mobile.trade.gov.uk Published October 2017 by Department for International Trade East of England