In the past, most e-commerce platforms were focused on domestic clients. Now, many of these businesses are looking to reach global audiences. This shift is primarily due to the accessibility of the internet. Also, as modern companies tend to niche down, they have a greater need to get clients in all locations.
If you own an international e-commerce business, there are several considerations you will want to take into account. You should map out the services or products you offer and the people you serve. Equally, you must have specialized tools that can simplify your company’s processes in order to make its operations effective. If you are looking to enhance your international e-commerce business, below are 5 tools you should consider.
Ecommerce Platform
To have an e-commerce business, you must have a functional platform for people to access the products or services you offer. This software should help you manage web pages and worldwide order fulfilment. Some of the common applications you can use include:
- Shopify;
- BigCommerce;
- Wix;
- Big Cartel.
Each of them offers you unique options that may fit your business mode. Such platforms allow you to build a website using free and paid themes, access marketing tools and analyze your marketing campaigns. In addition, some options or plugins let you optimize your content for search engines.
Tools can be of great help to any business or individual. Modern people rely on digital solutions for communication, shopping, translation, etc. However, in some cases, tech tools don’t guarantee success. For example, you may need to get the help of a human translator instead of an app. If so, there are several top professional translation services an individual or organization can choose from. Translation Report makes the selection easier by providing in-depth reviews of each service provider. Plus, you can access blog posts with information for people interested in languages.
Customer Service Systems
Running an international online company challenges you to have impeccable customer service. To achieve a high level of client satisfaction, you must provide customer support quickly and effectively. There are various applications you can use to stay connected with your clients and audience. Some of the more popular tools are Zendesk and Acquire. Although different, each application helps you streamline workflow by providing appropriate customer information to agents who handle support. In addition, these tools can create queries and tickets across all platforms, including social media, and they often take into account popular ecommerce trends and common practices. The most notable of these trends is the live chat option, which is great for international audiences.
Logistics and Sales Systems
If you sell physical products, you must have effective logistics and sales systems. You may find this option in most e-commerce service providers. However, standalone alternatives are more efficient if your business covers several countries. Likewise, many of these specialized tools let you offer customers options like drop-shipping and delivery to individual and corporate clients. These applications integrate with your marketplace and shopping cart seamlessly. Some of the best logistics and sales tools you can use at the moment include Veeqo and Shipwire.
Analytics
With the emergence of big data, e-commerce analytics have become indispensable to all serious businesses. These tools give you information like performance metrics, customer behavior, and much more. Armed with these details, you are better positioned to make informed decisions about the overall operation of your company.
The most powerful analytics tool in the world of international e-commerce business is Google Analytics. This tool gives real-time information about new, current, and returning visitors. It also provides details of the origin of your traffic and total engagement of individual products or services. Other equally powerful applications include QlikView, Optimizely, and Splunk.
Marketing Tools
Marketing is crucial for the success of every international e-commerce business. Also, it allows your company to reach customers globally through paid advertisement. It involves:
- – Social media marketing:
- – Email campaigns;
- – Search engine ads:
- – Other paid ads.
Buffer and MailChimp are an example of tools you can use to manage a number of these campaigns. These applications let you communicate directly with customers by providing promotions and product details. In most cases, you can easily automate these processes through apps. Ultimately, you get to build a customer list which will serve you for the entire lifespan of your business.
Another thing that makes these marketing tools great is the ease of integration with existing e-commerce platforms. For example, MailChimp works great with WordPress and Shopify. Also, Buffer lets you manage all your social media postings.
Concluding thoughts…
If you own an international e-commerce business, you should leverage various automation and management tools. Firstly, you will need an e-commerce platform to set up the business. Also, you cannot effectively communicate with clients without functional customer service tools. Selling physical products require efficient logistics and sales applications. Finally, you must possess high-quality analytics and marketing tools to analyze product engagement and reach customers with target ads. Use the solution noted in this article to upgrade your international e-commerce business today.
About the Author
As a business expert, Andrew Mazur is also an experienced writer. He regularly contributes content to various online e-commerce blogs. Andrew also likes traveling and learning new things.
