For small business owners, international shipping can be intimidating. But there are a number of benefits that make it worth exploring if you want to expand your reach and increase profits.
In this guide, we’ll look at the different benefits of international shipping and how you can use them to your advantage as a small business owner.
We’ll discuss everything from selling a wider range of products to how you can reach a larger audience so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not international shipping is right for your business. So let’s get started!
Diversify Your Products
International shipping allows you to add new products to your offering, which can open up entirely new markets for your business. This is a great way to test out different products and find out what works in different countries.
When researching potential new products to ship internationally, it is important to consider the local culture and market trends of the country you are targeting. If a product doesn’t fit into the local culture or isn’t popular with customers there, it likely won’t sell well. Additionally, if a product is already very popular in an area, it may be difficult for you to compete against established sellers.
Expand Your Brand Identity
Another benefit of international shipping is that it can help you to expand your brand identity. By shipping to customers in new countries, you can gain exposure to a wider audience and introduce them to your products and brand values. This can be a great way to build loyalty among existing customers, as well as win over new ones who are impressed by how widely your products are available.
If you want to expand your brand identity through international shipping, make sure that you carefully consider the design and messaging of all marketing materials. You should also work towards building relationships with online influencers or key thought leaders in your target markets so that they will actively promote your products for you.
Find More Sales Hubs
Adding an international shipping option can help you find pockets of desire for your product worldwide. These “sales hubs” can then become a new target for your sales, marketing, and advertisements.
If you find a place where your goods sell incredibly well, try to promote yourself more in that area. The goodwill you have built, as well as word of mouth in that location, will be a force multiplier to help you sell even more products.
At the same time, by selling to a wider area, you avoid problems that come with oversaturation in a dense market. If you are only selling a product to a local market, then a competitor may come along and offer a similar product. With international sales, you may have the assurance of expanding beyond your competitor’s reach.
Sell Seasonal Products All the Time
One of the joys of working with international markets is that there’s always a holiday somewhere. Because of this, you could look into creating products focused on specific communities or occasions during different times of the year.
For example, if you are inside the US, you could investigate putting together Thanksgiving products. Whereas, if you are outside the US, a Guy Fawkes product for a British audience could work.
If your international shipping budget can handle it, also consider the natural changes in your sales over the seasons. It might benefit you to think about selling your Winter products in Summer or vice versa.
It turns out this is possible to do because the seasons are opposite on different sides of the equator. As such, when you sell Summer products in the US, you might find you can sell winter items in Australia or other southern-hemisphere locations.
You could even manage the listings on your website so they appear at appropriate times based on someone’s location. If customers visiting your site are located in the southern hemisphere, you could offer them more warm-weather items. At the same time, in the north, you could offer items that match a winter climate.
More on the Benefits of International Shipping
The above examples should expand your understanding of the benefits of international shipping. However, you still may want to know more before adding this service to your business. Lucky for you, this is where we come in.
We are an authorized carrier of international packages and have plenty of information on our website. We even compare shipping rates between the major carriers to make sure you’re getting the best possible price on every package.
So, if you want to know more about how to get started with international shipping, we are ready to help you out.
All you need to do is give us a call, and we can start you on the road to shipping your products internationally.