E-commerce is commonly understood as a company website through which products are sold in one or more countries. In reality, however, the definition of e-commerce encompasses the entire online sales ecosystem and, more broadly, includes marketplaces, vendors and aggregators. It is therefore important to identify the role and characteristics of the different platforms used to sell abroad, both when managing a proprietary online shop and when developing a presence on third-party websites.
Starting with… platforms and how to structure an online shop
Let us first focus on e-commerce in the form of a proprietary online shop. During the initial planning stage, companies often have to decide whether to create a dedicated sales section within their corporate website or develop a separate website altogether. In the latter case, the new website will also need to be positioned online and made visible through an appropriate SEO strategy.
Some companies also need to develop a two-tier e-commerce model, one for B2C and one for B2B customers. Here too, the question often arises as to whether both offerings should be hosted on the same website or whether separate online shops should be created.
Another relevant consideration is that, as e-commerce platforms continue to evolve and new-generation solutions become available, many companies find themselves needing to upgrade an existing e-commerce website to a new technological platform. This must often be done while preserving the existing domain name and its associated search-engine ranking, as well as ensuring a seamless transition from the old website to the new one.
First of all, it should be emphasised that the visibility generated through SEO has an intrinsic value. If a company has already achieved significant search-engine rankings in the target countries where it intends to sell its products, it is generally advisable to develop the e-commerce pages within the existing website. This can be done by creating a dedicated mini-site connected to the main website through a structured hierarchy, while still allowing the company to develop as many individual pages as required.
There may be good reasons to separate B2C and B2B pages. For example, in B2B sales, packaging formats and prices may differ significantly from those offered to consumers. Even in these cases, however, it is generally sufficient to create two separate sections or mini-sites and restrict access to the B2B area through registration, including the submission of a VAT number and the issuing of dedicated login credentials.
From a technical perspective, a proprietary e-commerce website can either be developed entirely from scratch or built using a CMS – Content Management System, which enables companies to create and manage content through predefined modules and guided interfaces. Solutions include WordPress, Shopify, Drupal, Magento, PrestaShop and other platforms that allow companies to develop their own e-commerce presence without requiring advanced programming expertise, although technical setup, maintenance and management remain necessary.
Functions that enable the creation of a centralised dashboard
When setting up an e-commerce model for export, a number of functions are strategically important. One example is the management of the so-called “last mile” of the transaction, particularly the payment stage.
When selling internationally, companies often need to differentiate payment methods according to the target country, as users in different markets may have different preferences, including in B2B transactions. Businesses therefore need to provide the appropriate payment options for each market.
They may also need to manage transactions in multiple currencies, which can create significant challenges in terms of payment reconciliation and related financial operations. When choosing an e-commerce platform, it is therefore important to assess whether it supports country-specific payment methods and, above all, how effectively it handles exchange rates, payment reconciliation and cash flows.
For all e-commerce systems, companies should also evaluate whether and to what extent the platform can integrate with corporate databases and warehouse management systems, thereby optimising the flow of information to and from the online shop.
Another key factor is scalability. The platform should provide sufficient flexibility to allow additional features to be implemented in the future, even if they are not required at the initial stage.
The issue of integration between systems — for example between the company’s management system or ERP and the CMS or corporate website — should also be extended to the third-party platforms used for export, ranging from marketplaces to social selling channels.
A company managing multiple platforms across several countries may find it difficult to keep inventory, logistics, payments and credit under control. For this reason, it may need a centralised dashboard capable of collecting, processing and analysing the relevant data, bringing together information related to warehouse flows, sales, transactions, exchange rates and currencies.
Promotional strategies for optimising e-commerce in international markets
Even when a company performs well in terms of SEO for its target markets and achieves strong search-engine rankings, a proprietary e-commerce website may struggle to generate substantial visibility unless third-party channels are used to drive web traffic to its pages or promote individual products.
To optimise sales through a proprietary e-commerce website, companies should therefore consider using aggregators and affiliate programmes.
Aggregators are platforms that allow online users to discover, evaluate and compare products, styles and prices. The actual online shop and purchase process, however, remain on the seller’s website, to which the aggregator redirects the user.
There are industry-specific aggregators, such as Stylight and Stileo for fashion, Livingo for furniture and design, and Trivago for tourism, as well as price-comparison platforms covering a wide range of products and services.
Affiliate marketing, on the other hand, allows exporting companies to promote and sell individual products through affiliate programmes managed by third-party networks. These networks work with blogs, websites and other publishers organised by sector or service category, enabling companies to distribute promotional content and monetise resulting sales.
Among the best-known affiliate networks with coverage across multiple international markets are Awin, Worldfilia and TradeDoubler. In addition to generating sales, affiliate marketing can also help increase brand awareness and provide companies with a better understanding of the audiences interested in their products.
Naturally, a complete online export strategy may also include a presence on sector-specific or geographically focused marketplaces, social media shops and messaging platforms that integrate purchasing functions.
The available tools and channels are numerous and, just as with traditional distribution, companies need to define the right strategy and channel mix according to their budgets and objectives.
One of the distinctive advantages of online export is the possibility of carrying out highly detailed performance analyses over very short timeframes. Campaigns can therefore be reviewed and adjusted on a weekly or monthly basis, allowing companies to modify their product assortment, their presence across individual channels and the relative importance of each channel within the overall distribution mix.