Sell products internationally with Ladenzeile and Shopalike

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Selling your products internationally means reaching new customers and expanding your business. But it can be a lot of work and take your resources away from other aspects of your business. That’s why it’s good to have a reliable partner on your side. Read how to use our Ladenzeile and Shopalike platforms to access ready-made international audiences of consumers.

One of the major benefits of selling products online is that you have a much broader reach than you could with a brick-and-mortar store. Shoppers in e-commerce are not constrained by time or geography: they can visit your shop at any time, even in the middle of the night, should they feel like it. And they don’t even have to live in your country. 

An easy way to scale

Many of our partner shops are already present in more than one market and focus on using our cooperation to scale this presence. If that’s your case, the internationalization process is very easy. You can start it either by

  • contacting your Success Manager
  • or registering on a specific platform.

 

After checking if all the necessary requirements are met, we’ll prepare a personalized offer and if you accept it – we’ll sign a contract. There is always a separate contract for each new platform cooperation because the conditions, like the CPC rates, vary per market. After the contract is signed, it only takes us a day or two to start displaying your shop’s products on a new platform. You also receive access to the respective Partner Dashboard to be able to track and steer your shop’s performance in your new market. For more comprehensive insights, we always recommend implementing Sales Tracking in the new market’s version of your shop’s website.

You can also choose if you want to

  • keep working with your existing Success Manager for this new market as well,
  • or work with a Success Manager specialized in your new market.

 

While it may seem easier to have just one point of contact with us, we recommend having dedicated Success Managers for each of the Ladenzeile or Shopalike platforms. All of our Success Managers have a high level of expertise and access to all our data and can provide efficient performance optimizations. But a local Success Manager can add to this valuable insights on the current local market situation and trends.

This kind of straightforward internationalization is usually very profitable for our partners. Since we have a four-week notice period to end the cooperation, you can even utilize that strategy to test a new market.

A few tips how to start selling internationally

But what if you are not yet present in a foreign market? What do you need to start selling products abroad?

Pick the direction and learn about it

First of all, decide on the geographical direction of your expansion. Maybe your products are already in demand in a foreign country? Use your analytic tools to check where your international traffic comes from. There might even be existing customers, going to some lengths to buy your products although you’re not selling them directly to their country yet. But don’t get too excited. Research the local market carefully and keep an eye on the potential competition.

Speak your customers’ language

Online shoppers, more than traditional shoppers, rely on product descriptions. If they don’t understand them, they won’t buy from you. That’s why you will need to have your website and product feed translated into the local language. The only exception to this rule is the Nordic countries. In Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, it might be enough to have the website and the feed in English.

Adjust the payment methods

Different payment methods are popular in different countries. It’s important to know them and provide the most preferred payment options to your customers. Many customers will abandon the purchase only because they can’t pay for it the way they are used to! In Germany, for example, PayPal is one of the most often used payment options, whereas in the Nordic countries, many customers opt for Klarna.

Infographic with languages and preferred payment methods across 12 Ladenzeile markets

Get familiar with local regulations

Selling products to another country also involves delivering them there (of course!), so research your options to plan the logistics

Check the taxes; for example: depending on the type of your VAT registration, when selling to consumers in other EU countries, you need to charge them the VAT rate of your or their country. 

There may also be other important rules and regulations. For example: In Germany, any organization offering services online, including online shops, must display an imprint on their website. Other than that, there might be local requirements regarding delivery times and returns.

Expanding your business by selling your products internationally is now easier than ever but still requires thorough research and preparation. Scaling it further may be even more challenging. That’s why it’s crucial to have an experienced and trustful partner on your side. 

With its international presence, Ladenzeile and Shopalike offer you access to ready-made international consumer audiences and the expertise of our local Success Managers helps you succeed in making your products their new favorites.

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Become a partner

To get started, select your market and apply to list your products on our website.

To your Partner Dashboard

To monitor and steer your campaign, select your market and log in to your Partner Dashboard