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Digital Export: why is it important for your business?

Digital Export: why is it important for your business?

 

In recent weeks we have reported how Made in Italy exports have reached a record value of 576 billion euros in the last 12 months.

A fact that on the one hand makes us proud, because it is not at all obvious after almost two years of the pandemic, and on the other it should be able to stimulate even companies that have not yet considered an internationalization strategy.

Many economic operators are still inactive in international markets or become so on call onlyi.e. when they receive a request from a customer or a foreign contact.

It is a behavior that does not lead to profits in the long run. Above all, respond to requests spot it does not allow the company to be adequately structured and actually makes it more fragile and exposed to market risks, to the detriment of competition.

This is why, to overcome these and other problems, many entrepreneurial realities should access Digital Export, as it allows you to open your own production and sales activities, reaching the final consumer directly.

More and more companies are increasing their foreign sales by relying on e-commerce, as demonstrated by the latest data from Politecnico di Milano, And those who have not already moved in this direction risk being left behind and losing the opportunity to develop a real competitive advantage.

Looking further into the data, we discover that Italian digital exports of consumer goods have grown by +15% in 2021, reaching a record value of 15.5 billion euros. Among the most important and representative sectors are fashion (8.6 billion, 56%), food (2.2 billion, 14%) and furniture (1.2 billion, 7%).

B2B online exports are worth over 146 billion, 28.3% of total exports. In this case the sectors with the best performances were automotive, textile-clothing and mechanics.

 

But what are the success factors of a Digital Export business?

 

The first step is to be aware that your sales activity will be carried out on a global scale, with all the difficulties and challenges involved. In this context it is therefore essential to keep in mind that Potential consumers or buyers have completely different life experiences and purchasing habits: they speak different languages, have different sensibilities, and may even have a completely opposite approach to sales from what we are used to seeing in Italy.

For this reason, the best Digital Export strategy cannot exclude these differences a priori, and indeed analyze them in detail with an initial market research for the countries considered as targets.

It will therefore be necessary analyze the trends of that market, the purchasing habits (Where is the product mostly purchased? On which marketplaces is it mainly purchased?), the competitive context (Which companies are most similar to your company in that market? What products do they offer and at what price? How can your product stand out from the competition and be successful?), the macroeconomic context and related costs (What are the transportation costs? Are there barriers to entry? Are specific certifications required?).

Once the market analysis has been developed, it is necessary to set up a correct communication strategy for Digital Export. The best method to build customer loyalty necessarily involves a targeted communication activity, to increase the brand identity of your company and consequently the trust and consent of consumers. Correct use of live chat, email support and instant messenger can make the difference in expanding your business and giving the image of a company that is always present and available, despite the physical distance.

 

Conclusions

 

In this article we have seen how the Digital Export is of fundamental importance to obtain a competitive advantage: the data shows how internationalizing your business can be the next step towards increasing turnover and increasing profits.

We also studied what are the steps to set up a correct Digital Export plan, starting from the fundamental questions to be asked before entering a new market, up to considering a correct communication strategy.

If you want to go into even more detail, and fully understand what to do to start exporting abroad via digital channels, we recommend that you also read the articles below, or if you prefer, contact us directly by clicking the button further down “Contact us”: we will listen to your internationalization project and study with you the best solution for your company.

 

READ ALSO:

Digital Export: keystone for internationalization

10 questions for an effective strategy in Digital Export

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