{"id":15326,"date":"2023-12-06T07:00:30","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T15:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/?p=15326"},"modified":"2024-05-08T08:51:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T15:51:19","slug":"international-shipping-readiness-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/international-shipping-readiness-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"International Shipping Readiness Checklist for High-Growth Ecommerce Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve done a good job of growing your brand through a domestic sales channel, but now you are thinking about shipping to other parts of the world. The US only accounts for 4.1% of the world population, making it a natural step to expand to other countries after any initial domestic success.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where many brands get <\/span>tripped up when expanding their sales channels<\/span><\/a>, one of the most important aspects is choosing the regions that will be a good fit for their product and shipping needs. By tapping into the right international markets, you can easily grow your brand by 35% – 40%.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is our readiness checklist for <\/span>international shipping<\/span><\/a>\u2014use it as a guide post when you\u2019re planning to expand your brand reach to international ecommerce customers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider Your Customer\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you getting requests from online customers to ship to certain regions?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you see any website or social media traffic that is coming from a targeted geographic area?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Does your product easily translate to another culture or language easily?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you seen your competitors start selling similar products to specific regions?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Research the New Region\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Does the new country or region require special labeling?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Will you need to translate your packaging into another language?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Does the import country require any special instructions, warnings, or additional product information?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Are your products legal in the new country or region?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the import laws for your product and its components?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Are there high <\/span>tariffs<\/span><\/a> or duties for your particular products? <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Are your products allowed to be manufactured abroad and sold in this country? For example, some countries only allow certain raw materials to be grown or manufactured within the country where they are sold to protect that region\u2019s natural resources and production economy.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Choose the Delivery Experience\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How quickly does your customer need to receive products? <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Will standard shipping be satisfactory or are expedited options needed?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is it worth the added cost to include an expedited shipping option?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where will delivery information be clearly communicated to customers before checkout?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is visibility in order tracking important?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Does your international shipping carrier and service provide tracking?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do you plan to communicate the tracking to customers?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is your customers service team prepared to help customers with tracking, otherwise known as \u201cpre-parcel anxiety\u201d?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Will your company pay duties and taxes upfront, or will you expect customers to be responsible?\u00a0This <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are your options:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n