YNOT – Taking your website to other countries is a very convenient way to attract potential buyers for your product or service. Localize your website correctly, and your company instantly can advertise in homes and office across the world.

Satisfying and meeting the needs of these potential customers is, however, another story.

Companies need to make sure their logistics operations are set up properly to deal with new internet customers or all of the localization work will be wasted. The items that need to be taken into consideration are part of any traditional international business; however, many companies selling abroad for the first time do not pay enough attention to the basic logistics items that are critical for success.

First of all, the company must make provisions for communicating with prospective customers in their own language in the real world. You have made the effort to advertise to them in their own language, so of course these new customers will expect you also to correspond and communicate with them in their native language. Along the various steps in the purchasing experience, do you have people within your organization who can translate and answer email from potential customers? And, once they are established customers who seek more detailed interactions with your company, how will you communicate with them and provide after-sales and service from a distance in their native tongue?

It also will be necessary for your website to accept payments from other countries. Most of the time, this can be handled through a credit card processor or an online payment system. However, credit cards are not a common means of purchase in many countries. In most European countries, for example, bank transfers are still preferred by a significant number of customers. Are you able to handle such types of payment or similar idiosyncrasies from your target markets?

Delivering your product or service in a timely manner also is important. Why would a customer wait two weeks for your delivery when a similar company in his own country can provide the product in two days? Of course, if you provide a unique service or deliver software, your company may not run into this problem. For everyone else, though, establishing a cost-effective and reliable delivery process is crucial to keep customers coming back for future business.

Unfortunately, there is no standard solution to the international delivery question. It will depend on where your warehouse is located, the size of your product and where you are shipping. Many international delivery companies exist; a national mail service may even be an option. Whichever shipping method you decide to use, it is important to do your research and clearly spell out your shipping charges and schedules on your website.

Finally, it is important to consider how you will deal with requests for service or replacement parts for your product. It is vitally important that your company is able to receive defective products from existing customers and provide repair or replacement services. If your customers may require after-sales service, you may need to set up a warehouse abroad or establish a partnership with a local company that already is operating in the region and can handle your service requests for you.

Multi-language websites can be the means to get your product or service noticed by a larger set of potential customers. Taking logistics items into consideration early in the planning process can allow your company to take full advantage of online localization efforts and make maximizing profits from your new customer base easier and faster.

This article was contributed to YNOT Europe by TranslationsXXX, an adult website translation service employing certified translators in 30 languages.