{"id":1147,"date":"2016-08-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/?post_type=blog&p=1147"},"modified":"2016-08-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-08-11T00:00:00","slug":"solutions-to-empower-your-companys-globalization-journey","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/blog\/solutions-to-empower-your-companys-globalization-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Solutions to Empower Your Company\u2019s Globalization Journey"},"template":"","blog_categories":[5,15],"resource_categories":[],"targeted_localized_audience":[],"document_categories":[],"class_list":["post-1147","blog","type-blog","status-publish","hentry","blog_categories-international-business-strategies","blog_categories-website-translation"],"acf":{"blog_short_description":"As companies expand into more global markets online, their technical needs may change. MotionPoint has a solution for every step of the way.","news_inline_styles":"","blog_video_id":"","article_body":"

Growing companies can no longer ignore the data: developing and executing a global strategy is critical for business success. It generates more revenue and new customers, and ensures a company\u2019s relevance on the international stage.<\/p>\n

In fact, companies that ignore this growing global opportunity may find themselves in an unrecoverable zone where it is impossible to close the gap between where they are, and where the global trend is moving.<\/p>\n

This is especially true online, where it\u2019s become increasingly easy and affordable for companies to launch websites to serve many global markets. Businesses no longer need international brick-and-mortar stores or fulfillment centers to engage these consumers. These days, the risk of \u201cgoing global\u201d is significantly reduced, thanks to localized branded sites, versatile e-commerce platforms and global shipping and payment vendors.<\/p>\n

Make no mistake: for an ever-growing slice of the world\u2019s population, digital sales channels such as desktop websites, the mobile web, smartphone apps and social networks represent the primary way people research and purchase goods and services. This isn\u2019t going away, and it\u2019s especially prevalent in emerging markets.<\/p>\n

Internet Adoption and E-Commerce is Skyrocketing<\/h2>\n

Indeed, robust consumer activity<\/a> in China, India, the Middle East and Africa are presently fueling much of the new year-over-year online sales growth. For savvy companies, regions such as Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa represent especially compelling growth opportunities. 2015 e-commerce sales were around 3% in these regions, illustrating a nascent consumer need, perfect for first movers.<\/p>\n

Continual improvements to e-commerce platforms, language-translation solutions, international shipping, and payment solutions will drive further growth.<\/p>\n

So will the ever-increasing global Internet penetration rate. More than half of the world\u2019s Internet users currently live in Asia, Oceania and Africa. In just three years, more than half<\/a> of the world\u2019s population will have Internet access. In four years, two-thirds of global online traffic will be generated by wireless and mobile devices<\/a>, the primary way most emerging-market consumers access the Internet.<\/p>\n

So how can companies smartly reach these thriving untapped markets? The answer is online experiences, optimized for global consumers, served in their preferred languages<\/b>.<\/p>\n

The movement to engage these online consumers is already well underway. According to Byte Level Research<\/a>, many of the world\u2019s largest websites now support more than 30 languages. This represents tremendous growth; 10 years ago, the average was 14 languages.<\/p>\n

Regardless of industry, capturing the attention of these new digital users is critical for business success. As we\u2019ve written before<\/a>, companies must transcend translation with culturally-relevant, savvy engagement via localized e-mails, local referral sites, regional search engines and more.<\/p>\n

Localizing websites for just two or three markets each year can generate robust and sustained sales growth, we\u2019ve found.<\/p>\n

Defining Your Global Expansion Strategy<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The challenges of global online expansion are largely two-fold: identifying the right international markets to engage, and then creating smart strategies for entering those markets. (These strategies often include the application of basic digital marketing concepts of international SEO, social and relevant local content and campaigns.) What are the right questions companies should answer to drive their international growth with localized websites? Based on our industry-leading experience, these are some of the most important to consider:<\/p>\n