8 Global E-Commerce Strategies

To help maximize your e-commerce potential

We know that most of your attention and time tends to go towards making and/or selling your products and services to your customer, as it should.

But that can sometimes mean that you end up not paying enough attention to an equally
important piece of the puzzle: Growth by focusing on global shoppers.

Whether you’re a new business looking to start shipping your products, or a business that wants
to improve their existing distribution system, we have compiled some global e-commerce
strategies to help you grow your business around the world.

1. Fully embrace going global

Global e-commerce growth has been greatly accelerated due to Covid-19 and in 2021 alone, we have seen Global E-Commerce grow by 40 percent! This spells opportunity for those that choose to focus on International buyers.

91% of consumers look for shipping options before reaching checkout.

ACTION

• Clearly communicate your return or exchange policy on items during checkout.
• Provide options for customers to easily return or exchange items.
• Optimize your reverse logistics process so it only takes 3 to 5 days.

OPPORTUNITY

• Set yourself apart from your competitors with a generous policy. This also shows that you are confident in the quality of your product offerings and your delivery partner.

2. Speed up delivery process

Customers have become more demanding over the years and 89% of customers consider 2-day shipping the baseline for fast delivery. Over the past year, 53% of consumers used a default shipping option, while 43% purchased an item with 2-day delivery.

Retailers who offer premium shipping grow 60% faster than those that don’t.

ACTION

• Add an express delivery option with full tracking. Imagine if you are a couple days from Mother’s Day and it takes 10-14 days to ship without tracking!
• Make express shipping the default option.
• Provide an incentive to lower the shipping cost if they purchase over a certain amount.
  

OPPORTUNITY

• Faster shipping will increase customer satisfaction which will show up in your customer reviews. In addition, customers will generally buy more when offered express shipping.

3. Keep shipping costs low

You should offer both a low-cost standard delivery and an express option to meet the needs of all shoppers. 79% of shoppers say free shipping makes them more likely to buy online in general.

50% of shoppers abandon carts because of limited shipping options.

ACTION

• Set a minimum purchase amount to qualify for free standard shipping.
• Use web banners to communicate this purchase amount.
• Use promo codes for free shipping during specific time periods or in customer communications.
  

OPPORTUNITY

• Examine how low-cost shipping has impacted your current domestic sales. Now take the same effort to examine costs by country. Choose your top three countries and experiment with shipping promotions to see your sales impact.

4. Offer delivery tracking

Tracking is critical for peace-of-mind and can cause negative reviews and costly refunds if a package goes missing and cannot be tracked. Customers appreciate and expect increased visibility and often will pay extra so they know where their package is.

54% of shoppers expect easy-to-understand tracking for their shipments.

ACTION

• Ensure that your carrier has full tracking from beginning to end with notifications via email and SMS based on order status.
• Select a carrier, like DHL, with flexible delivery options – signature, leave with neighbor, leave at locker etc.

OPPORTUNITY

• Customers that know when and how to receive their packages will provide you with top ratings. Provide them with options so they can choose based on their budget.

5. Make returns easy

The good news is that International buyers tend to return goods less frequently, however it’s best to not skimp on your return policies.

66% of shoppers check the return policy before making a purchase.

ACTION

• Clearly communicate your return or exchange policy on items during checkout.
• Provide options for customers to easily return or exchange items.
• Optimize your reverse logistics process so it only takes 3 to 5 days

OPPORTUNITY

• Set yourself apart from your competitors with a generous policy. This also shows that you are confident in the quality of your product offerings and your delivery partner.

6. Include duties and taxes

Extra costs associated with Duties and Taxes are added complications for retailers and shoppers. You can consider using Delivery Duties Paid (DDP) to make this process easier for your shoppers.

15 of DHL’s top 20 companies use DDP to ensure their customers don’t encounter surprise fees later. These fees must be paid regardless so including them and making it clear to your customers has been proven to increase sales.

Retailers with DDP as part of their checkout process grow twice as quickly as those that don’t have the offering.

ACTION

• Clearly communicate that DDP is included in checkout.
• If you do not include DDP, communicate the Duties and Taxes so customers are fully aware of the total cost.

OPPORTUNITY

• Transparency shows honesty. Monitor your sales as you test DDP vs. disclosing Duties and Taxes without DDP.

7. Display prices in local currency

Don’t stop at just translating text, help your customers by displaying in their local currency. Forcing your customers to perform an extra step makes for a poor customer experience. 9 in 10 consumers want to shop on sites that offer their own currency.

33% of shoppers are likely to walk away from a cart that only shows U.S. prices.

ACTION

• Use automated site features to detect the country from your site visitors.
• Display localized prices on all pages including product, shipping, and other costs.

OPPORTUNITY

• The less time your customer must spend guessing at the cost, the more time they can spend shopping on your site.

8. Leverage shipping experts

Working with InXpress means you have a no-cost shipping expert that can save you time for developing your shipping strategy. We are DHL’s 5th largest customer and can extend discounts on DHL Express shipping to your customers.

From Express shipping, DDP offerings, full tracking, and flexible delivery options, an InXpress partnership can help you grow your business.

ACTION

• Find a partner that will take the time to understand your sales goals.
• Look for a partner that can lower your costs so you can better compete against larger companies.
• Understand your gaps and how their strengths will help.

OPPORTUNITY

• Stand out from your competition by catering to Global shoppers, the fastest growing segment of e-commerce!