International Business and Technology Blog

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.

Is India’s online world finally coming of age?

Lured by the potential size of the market, an intrepid US manufacturer we know started exporting to India in early 2012. While it found willing in-market partners, the challenge of complex tax structures, patchy infrastructure, poor logistics and out-dated payment systems, meant that its B2B and B2C sales objectives were far from achieved. Yet this year, fortunes appear to be changing. 

WDM®, the family-owned Bristol company and world leader in delivering safer road surfaces, has launched its first global websites to support export sales.

WDM® is the UK’s leading manufacturer and provider of road surveying equipment and survey services and has more than four decades of experience in road condition assessment.

Ever attentive to the international ambitions of its members, the US National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) conducted a survey in June 2016 appropriately titled “Looking to Navigate Beyond US Borders?” 84 companies responded, providing results that re-inforce what those charged with navigating those challenges know: that there are two main routes to grow exports and international business, namely that of i) international trade shows and then ii) online marketing and social media.

International trade shows, the staple route to international markets since such events commenced (in France) some 120 years ago, remains the leader with 73%. But what is interesting is the rapid uptake of online marketing and social media. Off most navigators horizons just 5 years ago, online marketing now commands the attention and budget of 65% of the respondents. And watch that number and % figure continue to rise…

With Christmas fast approaching, several reports have just been published reviewing the role of ecommerce, cross border shopping and the importance of country specific websites for North American and European exporters. All the reports point to the same conclusion: ecommerce is now mainstream and if your websites are not fully prepared, you are unlikely to get the full benefit of the Christmas shopping binge. So for exporters, how do you make sure your websites will perform optimally across multiple markets? Here are a few pointers.