International Business and Technology Blog

In most countries, more than half of internet users buy online at least once a week. In Canada, 51% shop online while in the USA it is 57%, and in places like Thailand, Mexico, Singapore, it is well above 60%. In this blog we look at how companies can leverage ecommerce platform Shopify to grow their brands and sales internationally.

Going global poses specific challenges beyond the obvious logistic issues: how does your international buyer persona find you and how do you engage and create the buying experience needed to ensure carts go right through to the purchase across different markets?

Going global means going local: maximising Shopify’s capabilities, combined with precision online marketing and local market expertise, ensures your brand is easy to find, connects with your local buyer persona and builds the trust you need to get purchases over the payment line.

As an official Shopify Partner, IBT Online helps our clients leverage Shopify to go global - read on to see how.

Canadian companies that build a multinational presence through trade and diversification are more profitable, more stable and more resilient than companies that don’t. The access to talent and innovation they gain in building that footprint better positions them to compete in the future.

AT IBT Online we have partnered with the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service to provide information and support to Canadian exporters, enabling them to leverage the power of digital to grow their exports, sales, brand and business globally. 

Check out our Playbook for Canadian Exporters, and get in touch with IBT Online to discover how online business development tools will make the internet work for you 24/7, 365 days/year.

IBT Online is proud to share with you that our client Sciencix was awarded The SBA 2023 Exporter of the Year. It is a great case study on how Online Global programs work, and deliver exports, sales, brand, and business growth.

Starting in 2021, supported by SBA State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grant funding, IBT Online began delivering best-practice, optimally localized business development websites, so Sciencix would be found, be understood, and be easy to do business with in their target export markets. Today, Sciencix has “a growing list of clients around the globe”, and "exports now account for one-third of Sciencix’s total sales, and its products support research laboratories in over one hundred countries, spanning all continents”.

Listen to Raj Bhandari, President, and Lisa Bamford, Director of Global Marketing, as they share the Sciencix story and the path to becoming SBA 2023 Exporter of the Year!

In today’s super competitive landscape, social media is the beating heart of every industry – whether we are ready to give into it or not!

Social media is a critical part of every brand's marketing and advertising strategy, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. According to a report from GlobalWebIndex, 54% of social browsers use social media to research new brands and products.

And with the advent of social listening, it’s never been so easy for brands to dive deeper into consumer insights and market knowledge, and gain a larger share of that market!

As per its most widely-spread definition, Social listening is essentially the art of monitoring social media conversations around specific keywords and topics – but and that's just the tip of the iceberg. The insights gained from social listening can help brands stay ahead of the curve, increase market share, and improve ROI. In this blog post, we'll explore the importance of social listening, how brands can implement it into their marketing strategies, and the benefits it can bring to brands across all industries.

Selling your products online is no longer a negotiable, it’s a must for every company that wants to continue to grow sales and reach new, untapped audiences. Yet, the struggle for many businesses is how to remain authentic to your brand and build a personalised experience for your customers online.

Businesses today are struggling to recreate that human touch that shoppers in physical stores have always loved and connected with. The solution is to humanize the online shopping experience, which means putting the interests and needs of their customers as the top priority and enhancing the customer’s personal experience with your brand.

The key to achieving this is video!

The Online Global Program is a proven path for launching brands into international markets and building a long-term sales pipeline.

That's  exactly what Redi-Rock International, a Michigan-based company, wanted to do, as Mattie Meadows, Marketing Manager states: "We wanted to show that we are an international company". To achieve this objective with confidence, Redi Rock partnered with IBT Online to expand their global online presence, starting with the French and German markets.

Now Redi-Rock can demonstrate to their domestic and international prospects, clients and partners that they are, indeed, a global business with a local digital footprint.

Whether we’re avid marketeers or not, we have all heard about Google’s latest new release, and the dreaded term 'transition' to GA4. If you haven't been following; as of July 2023, Google will discontinue all Universal Analytics properties and companies will only have access to their new system: GA4.  

With the introduction of GA4, users can expect many changes on how Google reports data and how to leverage the platform. So, what does that mean for your business, your website and how you are currently using and reporting your data?

Businesses today are investing in their video strategy as a way to shape their brand identity and reputation. In line with this trend, LinkedIn is doubling down on its roll out of video capabilities to meet the growing demand for video creation and viewership. Since introduced to the platform in 2017, video has quickly surpassed text and image as the preferred content format for LinkedIn. The latest updates on the platform, which include livestreaming, creating ‘profile videos’ and ‘auto-captions’, all point to LinkedIn’s objective of improving video capabilities and expanding their B2B platform as a place for creative content and ‘creators’ to flourish.

Across the board, businesses are ramping up their video marketing strategies and taking full advantage of LinkedIn’s video capabilities to achieve this. The data backs up this trend, as LinkedIn reports continue to demonstrate that brands have the highest chances of increasing their account performance by leveraging video.

The B2B digital market is growing now! With the global B2B ecommerce market valued a $14.9 trillion. The B2B ecommerce market it five times greater than the B2C market. 87% of B2B buyers admit the would pay more for a supplier with a better ecommerce portal and experience.

The new generation of procurement leaders and purchasing agents have grown up buying online for personal needs. They expect to be able to buy online for business development as well!

Your website is the most powerful tool for building trust and brand awareness in your target markets and therefore growing your export sales pipeline. 

Check out our infographic and get in touch with IBT Online to discover how online business development tools will make the internet work for you 24/7, 365 days/year to help your grow your exports, sales, brand and business. 

France is the 7th largest economy on the planet, and the French are one of the most well-connected people on the planet. Almost 100% are unique mobile users, and over 90% go online at least once a day.

Not only are they well connected, mobile, and social, but they also love to buy things online. France is the number 6 ecommerce market in the world- There is no wonder that France is such an attractive market for US exporters! 

Use online tools to your advantage to be found, understood, and transact your business in France!

The infographic below will help you grasp and understand the potential of France's online environment, social media, and ecommerce.