So, you want to go global with your website eh? Not so fast, if you have ever traveled to another country you will appreciate just how different things can be despite the fact that we are all made of the same stuff. These differences are critical to a successful international launch and without truly understanding your market you could be making some big mistakes. Make sure you understand that online businesses need to address the same issues when going international that any other business would. I won’t go into every detail here since entire books can be written about this, but here is some food for thought to get you on the right track.
###Different People
You need to know who is looking at your website and what appeals to them. This can include everything from website design to your positioning statement.
Take a look at what some popular sites are in that specific country to see how they look and what types of designs are attractive to those local markets. I’m pretty sure that a business based in Korea understands their market better than you would from the US, so follow their lead and leverage everything you can to attract your customers.
Figure out if your product still fills a market void in that country and if so how you can most effectively position yourself. Buying habits or the mentality around your type of product might be different so make sure you understand what is going on here and position yourself accordingly. One example of this would be Expedia’s launch in the UK. 75% of travelers in Europe use Expedia or one of their other properties to do searches with, but only 5% actually book that travel through them. I won’t try to break down why this might have happened, but it likely had to do with some positioning that they failed to address.
Don’t underestimate the language barrier. One of the worst mistakes that can occur is that your online brand means something profane or with a strong negative connotation. Do your homework around this and if there is a problem then you most likely need to change that brand.
###Different Competitors
You will find yourself in a completely different competitive landscape. There might be strong players you’ve never heard of with a lot of market share or brand loyalty. This would change your entire outlook if the same were true where you launched your company, and it will change everything when you launch against those competitors. Be well aware of everybody you will be going against and don’t forget about indirect competition. People might not even be interested in the type of product or service you plan on providing, so be prepared to address this question before you decide which countries you will setup shop in.
###Different Business
These concepts merely scratch the surface of the types of things you need to go into when deciding on an international launch however it should be obvious that this level of thinking is critical. You will be spending money going international, and it will all affect your bottom line. Make sure that you are as careful and calculated when going international as you were when starting up your business. Like it or not, you are starting a new business when you go international and just because you are online doesn’t mean you are safe.