Page 50 - Cross-Border Magazine Nr.3

~ Opinion ~

PANEL Ronan Bardet is the founder of the start-up incubator EGI Group,

Co-founder of Tedemis, Splio.es and iAdvize.es. Ronan has +15 years
experience in the industry, works as a mentor and accelerator and
collaborates with Spain’s Top 5 retailers
“The answer depends on the geographical distance in question and the degree of interna-

France and Spain or, more generally, any country belonging to the European community,
Y&N tionalization. If we are actually talking about countries that are quite near to each other, like
the trust factor will be strong enough to generate some sales in that specific case. Obviously,
good adaptation to the local market with the right translation, payment methods, etc. would
help a lot to improve the commercial rate of the international traffic. If we are talking about
“more international” cross-border sales, meaning from Spain to China or even to the US
“A strong brand can be internationally successful online or which connects continents, it is much more complicated as, the brand, although being
very strongly established, will hardly increase the amount of its sales without re-designing a
even without a localised webshop.” whole strategy that is consistent with the patterns of the local user’s experience. “

Francesca Prince, Marketing & PR Executive, Prezzybox.com. Experienced
in developing and implementing strategically driven and sales based creative
If the branding is right, customers will desire the products and be driven to buy campaigns. Fran delivers the voice and values of the brand within the media
through her imaginative and sociable approach to PR.
them, even if the brand’s webshop does not offer localised e-commerce services. “Emerging into new locations should be a focused and committed task, an on-screen pres-
ence means there’s a need to provide a user friendly interface, as well as build an identifi-
able, vibrant brand that is relatable and reliable. Ensuring a localised customer experience
NO and site efficiency across devices is vital to providing the right service for new customers.
Intriguing visuals and branding will only get you so far, from language barriers to currency
conversions and delivery options, accessibility is paramount to our development. Even
seasonal events are important to consider, give your user a personal and tailored journey to
retain their interest and aid purchase.”

Martin Newman, Executive Chairman of multichannel and ecommerce
consultancy Practicology Non-Executive Director of British retailers,
Conviviality PLC and White Stuff.
“Even for recognised brands, a localised webshop is essential. One site could serve multiple
English-speaking markets but, as a minimum, size guides and payment options should be lo-
calised so customers can complete purchases. Local performance marketing to drive site traffic
is as important as brand awareness. A non-localised site won’t display well in search results,
NO PPC ads will cost more and the return on advertising spend will be diminished if consumers
are sent to a site in another language. Delivery and returns also need to be on par with local
competitors’ unless you are selling unique products that consumers can’t get elsewhere.”

Ákos Boruzs is an internet professional with 10+ years experience in online
services, B2C, C2C e-commerce and digital marketing mainly on the online
retail and beauty fields. He currently holds a position as a Digital Manager at
AVON Cosmetics Hungary for thePannonia region (Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia,
Slovenia)
Already in the last year more than 11% of total e-commerce sales came from foreign sites
and it grows year on year dynamically in Hungary, similar trends also visible in other coun-
YES tries within the CE region. However, in general, using the local language helps the custom-
ers a lot, but the most popular brands can achieve great success even without localisation
in short and mid term, especially in the top consumer categories like fashion retail, beauty,
jewellery and accessories. This kind of consumer behavior is also valid for the biggest mar-
ketplaces like Amazon, since safe payment and value for money are more important criteria
for the younger generation during their purchase than the language itself.

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