If you are thinking of expanding your business and selling your products or services beyond national borders, then you have surely heard of “Digital Export”: this is a term used to refer to all those Functions and actions that determine the digital expansion of an enterprise.
In fact, selling abroad online offers incredible opportunities to enhance your brand, as well as to reach new customers around the world. Suffice it to say that B2B export via digital channels has reached the Record value of 175 billion euros in 2022, up by +20% Compared with the previous year, thus representing the 28% about of total Italian exports.
However, to be successful through online sales, it is important to adopt a well-thought-out strategy. In this article, we will guide you through the essential steps and tips for successfully selling abroad.
As mentioned, Digital Export means all those channels and actions that enable the digital expansion of a business abroad. Not only that, this term also means the’Developing strategies to strengthen your company's online presence, through the use of multiple digital tools.
Digital Export involves implementing targeted actions on this type of trade. Key among these are analyzing competitors, finding new partners for your business, and identifying the best channels to capture a slice of the target market.
Therefore, it becomes essential to understand the operating patterns of marketplace (such as Amazon and eBay), e-commerce, social media (such as LinkedIn), and knowing how to deal with differentiated types of strategic marketing. Finally, figures such as the Temporary Export Manager and the Digital Export Manager are increasingly essential in the context of a business that wants to establish itself in online commerce.
When we talk about Digital Export, we are referring to a broad field that is not just about ecommerce. In other words, it is not enough to have an online store with integrated foreign sales systems to be able to say that a very good job of Digital Export is being done.
On the contrary, it is necessary to implement the right strategy that can optimize the potential of all those digital tools useful for the internalization process. It is therefore necessary to planning and study to come up with truly winning marketing strategies that can establish your company in online commerce outside your borders. In addition, there is no getting away from a Deep knowledge of regulations governing sales processes in countries with the greatest potential for digital expansion of their business.
But what are the main channels through which your company can grow abroad? What is the best Digital Export strategy? The following are the key tools and actions that your company absolutely must take.
Marketplaces provide an environment where companies can meet virtually and do business. Specifically, there are two types of marketplace: those : those individuals, reserved for companies that are part of specific associations or supply chains, and those public, open to any company.
In addition, some marketplaces are sectoral, focusing on a particular industry, while others are generalist and offer a wide range of products and services. The ideal strategy therefore involves the Contemporary presidium of industry marketplaces, to maximize the possibility of getting potential leads on target, and to generalist marketplaces, such as Alibaba and Amazon.
Read Octagona's article dedicated to marketplaces: discover What are the most popular ones and their advantages
Social media represent, first and foremost, advertising channels To promote services and products. Of all the social platforms, Linkedin proves particularly suitable for a Digital Export strategy. Indeed, with its focus on professionals and companies, Linkedin offers the opportunity to realize targeted social selling strategies, generate qualified leads and conduct lead nurturing activities, as well as share high-quality content.
Read why your business should use LinkedIn In Digital Export Strategies
Create a multilingual website and tailored to cultural preferences of the target market is critical to communicating effectively with foreign customers, adopting the right SEO strategy.
Make sure the translations are accurate and that the design is adapted to provide an optimal user experience. You may also Create marketing content, blogs and promotional materials specific to the cultural preferences of audiences in a particular country, such as specific cultural references, images and language.
Going back to the initial question, which is “what is the best Digital Export strategy?”, we now have the answer: every strategy should be Customized to the specific market and nature of your business. By harnessing the potential of digital technologies and thoroughly understanding your target market, implementing the tools presented above in 360 degrees and integrating them with each other, you can maximize your opportunities for success in selling abroad online.
Do you want to find out how to apply these internationalization models? Then learn more about the success stories in international markets Of our clients.
Digital Export brings numerous advantages, such as expanding the sale of products without having to embark on setting up branches or offices abroad. In addition, it allows for a reduction in the costs associated with spreading goods to other nations, while also providing greater flexibility.
If implementing the tools presented above may seem difficult, you can rely on a Digital Export Manager (DEM acronym), a figure who will be responsible for:
The Digital Export Manager does not improvise, but studies and works out the best ways to achieve the set goals. For this, he or she must also be well acquainted with all digital tools, including from a technical point of view, to optimize and streamline digital sales processes abroad, including order management, logistics, and online payments.
If you are looking for a Digital Export Manager (DEM), Octagona can help you in the international development of your business. In fact, we are on Invitalia's list of accredited TEM and DEM companies.
Thanks to the experience gained in more than 20 years of activity, we have completed more than 900 internationalization projects, contributing to the growth and development of Italian exports around the world.
With direct offices in India, Vietnam, Brazil and the U.S., and local partnerships in all the most important outlet markets for Italian companies, Octagona assists all those companies that want to establish themselves in Digital Export, providing all the digital expertise acquired in the field.
We create customized digital expansion plans based on the characteristics of the enterprise, and the specific products you want to entrust to this market. Do not hesitate to contact us for any elucidation regarding the input we could give you to successfully internationalize your company.
Digital export refers to the set of digital channels, tools, and actions that allow a company to expand abroad. It includes analyzing competitors, finding new partners, choosing the best channels for the target market, and strategies to strengthen online presence through marketplaces, e-commerce, and social media.
In 2022, Italian B2B exports via digital channels reached a record value of 175 billion euros. Growth was 20% compared to the previous year, and the figure represents approximately 28% of total Italian exports, confirming the growing importance of online sales abroad.
The main channels are three: marketplaces, social media, and a multilingual and localized website. Among the marketplaces, it is advisable to focus on both industry-specific and generalist ones such as Alibaba and Amazon. Among the social media platforms, LinkedIn is particularly suitable for social selling, lead generation, and lead nurturing.
No, having an online store with international sales systems is not enough. Digital export requires a strategy that integrates multiple digital tools, market planning and research, targeted marketing, and a good understanding of the sales regulations in countries with greater potential. The strategy should be customized based on the market and the business.
The Digital Export Manager (DEM) analyzes business opportunities, studies trends and competitors in foreign markets, develops the digital marketing strategy for each country and includes the tools for product launch. It also manages orders, logistics and online payments. It is useful when the company does not have in-house expertise to implement these tools.
Digital export allows you to expand your product sales without opening branches or offices abroad. It also reduces the costs associated with distributing goods to other countries and ensures greater flexibility. This makes it an accessible route even for SMEs that want to internationalize gradually.
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