International Business and Technology Blog

Mexico is arguably Latin America’s most dynamic market for ecommerce for both the B2C and B2B worlds. Retail and ecommerce giants Amazon and Wal-Mart clearly think so and are backing their ambitions with huge investments. Amazon launched in Mexico in June 2015 and according to Juan Carlos Garcia, CEO of Amazon Mexico, the company sees “a big opportunity in the Mexican market. It’s a market which right now is at $12 billion and growth has been in the double digits.”

Peterson Spring management were so pleased with their first 2 international websites that they decided to add another two and IBT Online is proud to have helped them! Within just 6 months, the company has extended its online presence to Germany, Poland, France and Spain: all now boast fully localized websites generating leads and building the global reputation of the largest privately held spring manufacturer in North America.

Peterson Spring, founded in Michigan over 100 years ago, manufactures springs to serve the automobile, industrial, defence and manufacturing industries. The company started exporting early in its history and opened international subsidiaries – in Canada, Mexico and the UK. But they were cautious about setting up localized websites for their export markets. They had worked hard on their US core website and knew the time, effort and skills required to get good traction with a local website.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) offer to help companies get international websites through the Online Global Program prompted the company to spring into action. 

Building global brands

Roll-Rite sell their innovative tarping systems to trucking companies, haulage groups and specialty transporters from a range of different industries. Their clients are all looking for quality, reliability and strong service support. Brand recognition is therefore key to building that trust and in today’s world, websites and social media play a vital role for brand development, especially for global markets. 

Localized websites as platforms to grow

IBT Online first built Roll-Rite websites for the UK, Germany and France. The return on investment was clear and management decided to extend their online presence, adding websites for their businesses in Canada, Australia/New Zealand, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden. In total, Roll-Rite now boasts 8 international websites that are each localized, optimized and dedicated for their export market.

Optimized for each local market

Hague Quality Water’s export success has been built over time with different solutions found for different markets. HQW’s routes to market vary from exclusive distributor in one market to tied agents and even subsidiaries in other markets. Nowhere is this mosaic more evident than across Europe and Latin America. Management was searching for a way to support and organize all their partners and looked to online tools for a solution. IBT Online was delighted to work with HQW management to build localized websites and deliver international online marketing.

HQW management prioritized some of their most important export markets such as the UK, France and Spain for starters. Thereafter, it was up to IBT Online to build and deliver the websites, with correct urls for each market, keyword research for all the HQW terms in different markets and fully optimized for the local search engines. The rapid return on investment for the websites encouraged HQW management to extend their online footprint to Latin America. IBT Online got started right away!

Enterprise Florida Online Global Program – Go Global with Website Localization

Management at Miami-based Avionics Support Group, Inc (ASG) were quick to take advantage of Enterprise Florida’s Online Global Program. Hugo Fortes, ASG’s Senior Vice-President, noted that they had been looking for some time for an online solution to build and support their global business so the Online Global Program was an obvious choice.

Finding and nurturing international distributors

Bulman Products is a 100-year old privately owned manufacturer that relies on a dense distributor network to sell its quality rolled paper cutters and dispensers. This means that getting the right distributor is key. But new distributors need to be constantly recruited to feed the group’s international expansion and all of them need marketing support. This is not easy across multiple industries and markets.

A global business challenge

Kasco’s challenge was how to support an international distributor network. As a recognized global supplier of pond aerators, fountains and de-icing equipment, Kasco has over 30 distributors across the world and is committed to supplying them with great marketing material as well as helping them generate new leads. In its home USA market, the company uses its website to support its domestic sales reps and to showcase its know-how. Management knew that an online solution was the best way to grow their global business cost effectively but how to do it?

Ecommerce customers – whether businesses or private consumers – want a wide choice of products, delivery times and methods, low transport costs and hassle-free returns. These three magic ingredients: choice, low transport costs and easy returns, are not always simple, especially in Europe with its 24 official languages, EU and non-EU legislation and other complexities. Ecommerce in Europe looks a whole lot harder than in the USA. Is it worth it? A growing number of companies think so, encouraged by continuing strong demand. Ecommerce in Germany, for example, topped €52 billion in 2016 and is set for more double-digit growth in 2017.

Reviewing online options

Management at All World Machinery Supply (AWM) knew it was time to update their website. Besides being unable to showcase all their product lines, the home website wasn’t even mobile-enabled: a must in today’s multi-platform business world. The company is also growing  internationally and wanted to reflect their expanding global presence.

The land grab for internet users in India is in full swing and nowhere more so than in ecommerce. India now has the second largest number of internet users in the world, behind China, but this still means that about 65% of India’s population is not yet on the internet. While there are many Indian tech companies there are surprisingly few independent internet players, leaving the field open to the internet giants of the world. Google, with a historically impenetrable 96% market share in India, is facing serious competition from Chinese search engine giant Baidu. Amazon and Alibaba are dividing up online retail, gobbling up homegrown talent while Uber, Facebook and others all look for a slice of the cake.