Today we are answering the question, is shipping internationally for everyone? If you’re a small-business owner that’s considering expanding the reach of your brand even further, you’ve probably already investigated international shipping as a potential option for growth. Many business owners find the process of expanding internationally daunting, and for good reason. It’s one thing to put your product on a truck and ship it to a different state, and a completely other thing to ship it thousands of miles away via plane or boat.
It’s true that international shipping comes with plenty of challenges, but it also comes with plenty of benefits that often make the challenges worthwhile. Let’s go over some of the benefits of shipping internationally so you can decide whether to expand your reach internationally once and for all.
Shipping Internationally Benefit #1: Expanding Your Reach
If you want to compete with big, global companies, you’ll have to become a global company yourself, and the best way to do that is with international shipping. The biggest benefit of expanding internationally is the ability to diversify your customer base. If you ship internationally, you’re guaranteed to get more customers. People who wanted to buy your products before but couldn’t because of domestic-only shipping policies will now be able to purchase what they want. You’ll also be able to attract newer customers from around the world.
Shipping Internationally Benefit #2: Avoiding Product Saturation
Another one of the benefits of shipping internationally is that you can avoid product saturation. When a new, innovative product hits the market, it tends to fly off shelves and sell like hotcakes. But as more and more companies start to the sell the product, the market becomes oversaturated with it, and it becomes almost impossible for anyone to make a sizeable profit off it anymore. You can avoid market oversaturation by offering international shipping, which allows you to market a product that’s oversaturated in one country to multiple other countries where it’s still in demand. This gives you time to readjust your marketing strategy in countries where sales have slowed down while still making a profit.
Shipping Internationally Benefit #3: Reducing the Number of Returns
Tired of customers taking advantage of your return policy? By expanding internationally, you can cut down on the number of returns you get. An international customer is far less likely to return a product than a domestic customer is. This is because they must wait longer for shipping and delivery and may be subjected to customs charges once the package reaches the border. These two factors alone are enough to dissuade them from making a return.
International customers can still leave reviews, and if there are enough negative reviews of your company, people are unlikely to purchase from you in the first place. You should also make sure to follow the correct international shipping pallet requirements. Following these requirements reduces the risk of your packages being lost or damaged during transportation, so you don’t wind up with negative reviews due to factors that weren’t fully under your control.
For more business advice check out our articles about Managing Remote Employees or How to Improve Your Office Efficiency.
